20 | 21 Art  25 March 2020

Unsung Heroines 1967 – 1996

Women Artists from the Allan Stone Collection

The present lot is among the powerful selection of works by women artists from the Allan Stone Collection. Not only was Allan Stone a pioneering supporter of Abstract Expressionism and emerging artists, he also celebrated works by women who were forging new ground in the world of art, often without the support or recognition of the larger art community. Driven by personal experience and the need for expression, these women created inventive works exploring politics, gender roles, storytelling, abstraction and art history.  

He could make a visual decision very quickly. It was like love at first sight. He trusted his instincts.

Lorraine Shemesh

The Visionary Eye of Allan Stone
Allan Stone; Allan Stone Gallery, New York, c. 1975. Images courtesy of the Allan Stone Collection


Founded in 1960 by art dealer Allan Stone (1932–2006), the New York gallery known today as Allan Stone Projects has been admired for over half a century. Celebrated for its eclectic approach and early advocacy of pivotal artists of the 20th century, Allan Stone Gallery was a leading authority on Abstract Expressionism, the New York dealer for Wayne Thiebaud for over forty years, and showed the works of Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Arshile Gorky, Joseph Cornell, John Graham and John Chamberlain. Stone also promoted the work of a younger generation of artists that were in conversation with other artists in his collection, working in the mediums of assemblage, collage and new modes of abstraction. In addition to modern masterworks and contemporary art, Allan Stone also collected and exhibited international folk art, Americana and important decorative arts and industrial design.

Cara Croninger 1939–2019

Cara Croninger was a pioneer in the modern sculptural jewelry movement. After working primarily in leather clothing during the 1960s, Croninger began making jewelry, working primarily in resin, polyester and acrylic. Her one-of-a-kind bangles, cuffs and iconic heart-shaped pendants subverted mass-production by emphasizing individuality and handiwork within an industrial process. She cited traditions of African, Indian and Asian design, as well as the works of Isamu Noguchi and Helen Frankenthaler.

Cara Croninger was born in rural Michigan in 1939. She later moved to New York, where she began creating jewelry and exhibiting at Artwear in SoHo. Her pieces regularly appeared in Vogue for over 30 years, and graced the cover of the magazine in 1986. Her work has been exhibited at MoMA PS1, as well as other museums, galleries and boutiques throughout the US, Europe and Japan. She is also represented in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Museum of Arts and Design, New York. The artist passed away in 2019 at the age of 80.

Auction Results Cara Croninger

CARA CRONINGER, Light Bulbs (three works) | ragoarts.com

Cara Croninger

Light Bulbs (three works)

estimate: $600–800

result $390