Vintage 1960s Tony Mafia Mother & Child Etching Signed Artist Proof

Details

Description

Vintage circa 1960s etching by Tony Mafia (Robert Lee Alderson), a distinctive American artist associated with the Los Angeles counterculture … Read more Vintage circa 1960s etching by Tony Mafia (Robert Lee Alderson), a distinctive American artist associated with the Los Angeles counterculture scene of the 1960s.

This expressive figurative etching depicts a stylized mother and child in Tony Mafia’s characteristic surrealist/primitive-inspired visual language. The intimate composition combines bold, simplified figures with a richly textured background and symbolic imagery.

The work is pencil signed by Tony Mafia beneath the image and is also marked “Artist Proof”. A handwritten personal inscription, apparently reading “for you,” adds an especially charming and individual character to the piece.

The etching has been newly reframed using acid-free materials, providing an attractive presentation while helping protect the artwork for the future.

Details:

Artist: Tony Mafia (Robert Lee Alderson)
Date: Circa 1960s
Medium: Etching on paper
Subject: Mother and Child / Figurative
Signature: Pencil signed by the artist
Edition: Artist Proof
Inscription: Handwritten personal inscription
Frame Size: Approx. 14” x 11”
Sight Area: Approx. 6” x 3 3/4”
Framing: Newly reframed with acid-free materials

Condition: Very good original condition

About the Artist

Tony Mafia (1931–1999), born Robert Lee Alderson, was an American artist, painter, sculptor, musician and cultural figure whose career was closely connected with the creative atmosphere of 1960s Los Angeles. Born in Chicago, he developed his artistic abilities at a young age and went on to lead an unconventional, international life devoted to art, music and performance.

Mafia worked in a highly individual figurative and expressionist style, producing paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture. His work frequently incorporated symbolic, mythological, Native American, religious and autobiographical themes. He lived and worked in the United States and Europe and exhibited his art internationally.

During the 1960s, Mafia was part of the vibrant Los Angeles music and art scene and was associated with venues and personalities of the era. His paintings were collected by well-known figures including Jack Lemmon, Jack Nicholson and Cher.

Tony Mafia died in 1999. His work continues to attract interest from collectors of mid-century American art, outsider and expressionist art, Native American–influenced art, and the cultural history of 1960s Los Angeles.

A fascinating original example of Tony Mafia’s graphic work—beautifully presented, signed by the artist, and particularly appealing for collectors of 1960s American art and figurative printmaking. See less