45 miles on the Big Gear Bike Wednesday. This thing is brutal, but so much fun! The little hanging card is Mexican Loteria, which is intended to hang and flutter in the breeze until it flies off and is lost to the world. At least that’s what the woman who sold them to me said . I have already lost The Drunkard and The Magician, this one’s left.
Close up the artist's signature. is this an original of 150 lithoprints? Supposedly the first 150 lithos were hand signed by the artist with pencil so each should look a little different. An original is available for $3500 unframed. Reprints would all have the same signature. Detail points, no brown paper glued onto the back of the frame, no print number, no certificate of authenticity. Depending on the reprint technology involved some knockoffs have tiny little dots, like news print. It came from a multi million $ house (downsizing) so I was hoping. The appraiser I contacted thinks it's a "$100 poster in a $400 frame".
It's titled "Tour de France" from 1977. The artist, Graciela Rodo Boulanger from Brazil, did create several more whimsical works with the 1 wheel, fork and handlebars. Seems she never included cranks, pedals or any other bicycle parts including saddles! Well it's art after all.