Vintage Francisco McBride - Untitled Framed Pen/Ink Drawing (1961) (New Orleans)

Up for sale is a Vintage Francisco McBride - Untitled Framed Pen/Ink Drawing (1961) (New Orleans)! It measures 17 11/16” by 15 3/8” on the outside of the frame. The piece is in great overall condition with minor signs of wear consistent with its age and use (light rolling to paper). Please message us if you have any questions. Thanks!

This striking 1961 original pen-and-ink drawing by celebrated New Orleans artist Francisco McBride stands as a rare and captivating artifact of mid-century Gulf Coast modernism, offering a profound glimpse into the region's post-war avant-garde art scene. Executed with a phenomenal level of graphic detail and stylistic confidence, the composition masterfully blends crisp, geometric architectural abstraction with a fluid, exploding mass of organic ink work to capture the raw, industrial energy of the machine age. A truly unique piece of Louisiana art history, the work presents a deeply atmospheric, moody nocturnal cityscape that rewards close inspection; a sharp, receding structural grid on the left evokes the stark engineering of a river levee, while a meticulously rendered mobile industrial crane vehicle anchors the foreground, actively hoisting a cargo crate amidst a billowing plume of abstract texture. The entire piece relies on a sophisticated use of chiaroscuro, utilizing heavy blocks of dense cross-hatching against the stark, untouched negative space of the paper to create a brilliant, high-contrast play of light and shadow. Hand-signed and dated by the artist in graphite pencil directly onto the paper stock, this authentic, early-career masterpiece is an exceptionally rare find that perfectly bridges the gap between gritty, industrial regionalism and sophisticated abstract expressionism, making it a stellar centerpiece for any serious collection of 20th century American art.

♦️$25.00 flat rate shipping to all of the United States (Combined, international, and freight shipping as well as local pickup available upon request!)