William Steiger – Tarmac #4, 2002 – Oil on Linen, Signed – 12 × 16 in

An original oil painting by the American artist William Steiger (b. 1962), from his Tarmac series: a high-wing monoplane seen head-on in near silhouette, the wing sweeping across the canvas as one flat black plane, the propeller and undercarriage picked out in grey. A single hard shadow runs off to the left. No sky, no runway, no people — just the machine.

This is the companion piece to Tarmac #3, painted the same year and also in our hands. The two hang together particularly well, one aircraft in profile and one head-on. We are happy to sell them as a pair.

Details

• Artist: William Steiger (American, b. 1962)
• Title: Tarmac #4
• Year: 2002
• Medium: Oil on linen, on a custom panel by Barron Arts, Brooklyn
• Size: Approx. 30 × 40 cm (12 × 16 inches)
• Signature: Signed by the artist on the reverse, with title, medium and year inscribed in his hand
• Frame: Unframed
• Provenance: Acquired from a private clearance in the UAE

About the artist

A graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz and Yale, Steiger has shown in more than thirty-five solo exhibitions across New York, Japan, Spain and Germany, and is represented by Margaret Thatcher Projects in New York and Marcia Wood Gallery in Atlanta. His subjects are bridges, grain elevators, water towers and the flying machines of the early twentieth century, painted in a hard-edged, flat manner that owes a debt to Charles Sheeler, Charles Demuth and Ralston Crawford. He characteristically leaves the background bare white, isolating the object from its surroundings — exactly as here.

How we arrived at the price

We would rather show our working than ask you to take a number on trust.

• Steiger's work has come up at auction repeatedly, with realised prices reported across a range of roughly USD 400 to 7,500, depending on size and medium. The auction record stands at USD 7,500 for Railway Tanker, sold at Wright in Chicago.
• Paintings from this same Tarmac series — including Tarmac #1 and Tarmac #5 — have themselves passed through Wright.
• On the gallery side, his represented work is currently offered in the region of USD 4,400 for a comparable canvas.
• This painting sits at the small end of his output at roughly 30 × 40 cm, which places it below the larger canvases that reach the top of that range. It is unframed, and carries the light surface soiling described below.

Weighing those together, we have priced it at AED 12,000, roughly USD 3,270 — between recent auction levels for smaller works and current gallery asking prices. If you have market evidence that points elsewhere, tell us; we would rather have the conversation than defend a number.

Condition

Used. Paint surface sound and unrestored. Light surface soiling and a few small marks to the white ground, visible on close inspection, and minor handling wear to the edges — normal for an unframed painting of this age. Photographed as it is, unretouched. Further condition photographs of any area on request.

Authenticity

The work carries the artist's own inscription on the reverse giving title, medium and year, together with his signature, and the maker's stamp of the panel supplier. It is offered exactly as it came to us, without a certificate of authenticity or gallery paperwork. Buyers are welcome to inspect the painting in person or to arrange their own examination before purchase.

Viewing and delivery

Available to view by appointment at our warehouse. Delivered by hand within the UAE. Shipped worldwide, crated and insured — at this size, straightforward and inexpensive to send. Duties and import VAT are payable by the buyer in the destination country; many countries apply a reduced import VAT rate to original works of art.

لوحة زيتية أصلية للفنان الأمريكي وليام شتايغر (مواليد ١٩٦٢) من سلسلة "Tarmac"، تصوّر طائرة قديمة من الأمام على خلفية بيضاء. زيت على كتان، نحو ٣٠ × ٤٠ سم، موقّعة ومؤرخة ٢٠٠٢ من الخلف بخط الفنان. غير مؤطرة. القطعة المرافقة "Tarmac #3" متوفرة لدينا أيضاً ويمكن شراؤهما معاً.

كيف حددنا السعر: تراوحت أسعار أعمال الفنان في المزادات بين ٤٠٠ و٧٥٠٠ دولار حسب الحجم والخامة، وتُعرض أعماله في الجاليريهات بحوالي ٤٤٠٠ دولار. ولأن هذه اللوحة من القياسات الصغيرة وغير مؤطرة، حددنا السعر بـ ١٢٬٠٠٠ درهم.