Tade Styka Dolly Grey Portrait, ca. 1925
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GUEST:
This is a portrait that was of my, my grandmother. Her name was Clara Galassi. She was in movies in Europe. And her stage name was Dolly Grey. This was painted in Paris, I think, in the 1920s. The artist is Tade Styka.
APPRAISER:
How did she know the artist?
GUEST:
He just painted a lot of famous actors and actresses of the day, and writers... uh... politicians. I don't know exactly how they met. I think they met in Paris.
APPRAISER:
Do you know any of the films that she starred in?
GUEST:
I have a list of the seven or eight, but the few that come to mind are "Maratona," "Le Dolomiti" was a second one, and then "Metropolis" was a third one, I remember.
APPRAISER:
And that's probably around the age where she appears to be in this painting.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
In her 20s.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Most likely.
GUEST:
She had just gotten married to my grandfather, and he was an engineer working for the Marconi House in Paris. And so that's why they had been there for a time in Paris. And my mother was born in Paris.
APPRAISER:
And what year was your mother born?
GUEST:
I think 1925? About the time that she was still making movies.
APPRAISER:
That's a wonderful story and...
GUEST:
It is.
APPRAISER:
It's fantastic that your grandmother was a silent film star.
GUEST:
Yes. I knew her briefly when I was a child, growing up. I'm not sure the year she died. It was after 1954. Probably 1958.
APPRAISER:
It is signed lower left, "Tade Styka." He was a Polish artist, born in Poland.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
In 1889. And he was born into a family of artists. His father was Jan Styka. His brother was Adam Styka. The father, Jan Styka, was very well-known for his portraiture, as well. He was also someone who lived and worked in France. So his son also started studying in, in France. He was working in Europe a lot, and then he, eventually, he emigrated to the United States. He did probably paint this in Paris, I, I believe. It's not... it doesn't say Paris anywhere.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
But she was starring in a lot of movies that were...
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
....you know, German-made, and, you know...
GUEST:
German, and in Paris, yeah.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. I just fell in love with this painting as soon as I saw it. The expressiveness in her face. The way he depicts her hair falling around. It brings out her, her beauty here. Polish art is growing in value.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And especially, this is kind of a Polish art dynasty, if you will.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
With the father and the two sons.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
So the most recent high auction records for paintings by Tade Styka have been in Poland.
GUEST:
Oh, I see.
APPRAISER:
And his real name is Tadeusz Styka. The painting itself is oil on board. I would feel very comfortable putting an auction estimate of $12,000 to $18,000 on the painting.
GUEST:
Oh, okay, wonderful.
APPRAISER:
If you were going to insure this painting...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
I would say to insure it for around $30,000.
GUEST:
I see, okay.
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