Ralph Steiner’s iconic American Rural Baroque was first published in Fortune magazine in May 1930 in an article entitled ‘Vanishing Backyards.’ A selection of photographs by Steiner was illustrated alongside paintings by Charles Burchfield. The article states that each artist ‘has concerned himself with the American Scene . . . [and] has rejected artificial drama and the excitement of the accidental.’ American Rural Baroque, arguably Steiner’s most famous image, demonstrates his ability to effectively present pure photographic documentation within a formally perfect composition.

Ralph Steiner’s photographs illustrated in ‘Vanishing Backyards,’ Fortune, May 1930

Phillips is honored to present a selection of artwork from the collection of pioneering gallerists Eugene and Dorothy Prakapas. Proceeds from their outstanding collection will benefit the Eugene and Dorothy Prakapas Scholarship Fund at Yale University in memory of Thomas C. Mendenhall. Gene’s attendance at Yale in 1949 was made possible by a scholarship, and it was his and Dorothy’s intent that the sale of artwork from their estate would support scholars of the future.

Dorothy and Eugene Prakapas, Prakapas Gallery, 1970s.

Gene (1932-2011) and Dorothy (1928-2022) founded Prakapas Gallery at 19 East 71^st Street, New York City, in 1976. The gallery quickly became known for its adventurous curatorial approach and for showing a diverse range of artists and media. The couple set a demanding pace for themselves, mounting a new exhibition every four weeks, and keeping an ever-changing array of painting, photography, and works-on-paper on the gallery walls. Photography, especially work connected to the Bauhaus, was a particular interest of the Prakapases, and the broad theme of European Modernism threaded its way through many of their shows. Operating on a shoestring budget, the couple sought out little-known artists and underrepresented aspects of well-known artists’ oeuvres for their exhibitions. Gallery favorites included László Moholy-Nagy, Fernand Léger, Willi Baumeister, Albert Renger-Patzsch, and Werner Mantz, among many others.

Dorothy Prakapas, Prakapas Gallery, 1970s.

Both Gene and Dorothy came to the art world after having pursued successful careers in other arenas. Gene worked in publishing after graduating Yale, served in the Navy, and later pursued graduate studies at Oxford, which he attended on a Fulbright scholarship. Dorothy was educated at City University of New York and the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked in the fashion industry. Together, they made Prakapas Gallery into a mecca for collectors on the hunt for material that could not be found elsewhere, the esoteric and the avant-garde across all media, selected and contextualized with intelligence and warmth.

“Galleries that are powered by a completely idiosyncratic taste and with no regard for current fashion do not always live long. So it is good to see from their 10th anniversary miscellany that Eugene and Dorothy Prakapas are just as quirky as ever they were.”
—John Russell, The New York Times
- Condition Report
  To view the Condition Report please Sign In
  Sign In
- Description
  View our Conditions of Sale.
- Provenance
  Acquired directly from the artist
- Literature
  Fortune, May 1930, p. 78
  Steiner, A Point of View, p. 56
  Galassi, Walker Evans & Company, pl. 30
  Museum of Modern Art, Looking at Photographs: 100 Pictures from the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art, p. 105