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THBBill Rice (American, 1931 - 2006)
About Seller
1155 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02909
United States
Vallot Auctioneers was founded in 2003 as a fine art specialty auction house in Tribeca, and recognized as one of the first fine art specialty auction galleries in Manhattan. Now based in Providence, RI, the auction house continues the excellence in focusing on bringing fresh quality lots to the mar...Read more
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About Auction
LiveNov 6, 2025
The artists represented in AFTER DARK/AUTUMN, present the height of male homoerotic art. 20th century trailblazers, defiant queer creatives, and contemporary masters grace our forthcoming auction. Uncover original works from Rex, Michael Kirwan, Cornelius McCarthy, the Hun, Tom Bianchi, MATT, Etienne (Dom Orejudos), and many others displaying the sensuality, craft, historical significance of 20th century queer subcultures. Vallots Auctioneers info@vallots.com
View Full Catalog (120)
- Lot Description
"Two Men in a Truck." Charcoal on a brown sheet of artist-folded paper. 11 3/4 x 10 3/4"; 17 3/4 x 11 3/4" (unfolded).
William (Bill) Rice was a noted member of the NYC East Village scene throughout the 1960s and 1980s. Enamored with the often gritty life of both the East and West Village, his works observed overlooked aspects of queer men of color in particular.
The infamous West Village truck cruising piers was popular with urban and suburban men, where the unlocked trucks under the old elevated Westside Highway became makeshift spaces for hook-up sex.
As the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project notes about the Westside Highway cruising piers, which ran roughly from Christopher Street north to 14th Street along the waterfront: "A 1966 guidebook states, 'Go to the piers…between the trucks…,' referring to the trucks that were parked at night under the elevated West Side Highway. They were used for commerce during the day but were empty and unlocked at night, becoming a popular locale for public sex."
As a known cruising area, men on the piers risked arrest, particularly men of color, and even more so men of color together.
Rice depicts both men looking out their windows, on the lookout, aware of the risk but willing to take it.
The art historical importance of the Westside cruising Piers cannot be overstated. David Wojnarowicz and Keith Haring painted murals in the dilapidated shipping warehouses, photographers Arthur Tress and Peter Hujar took pictures of men and queer scenes, performers, like a young RuPaul, came of age on the Piers, and men from the boroughs came for hooked-ups as did the (bridge and tunnel) men from Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey; later, gay historically important clubs and bars, like the Mineshaft, took over the abandoned buildings on the opposite side of the highway and in the adjacent Meatpacking District and not far from what is now The Whitney Museum of American Art.
Provenance: estate of Bill Rice, courtesy of Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, New York.
Shipping: At checkout, you can choose integrated shipping with LiveAuctioneers LiveShipping, or you can choose "self-arrange" and reach out to one of our local recommended pack and shippers, or you can choose to "pick-up" during business hours.
Condition
The overall condition of the work appears consistent with the artist's intention and approach.
For further condition details, or additional image, please contact info@vallots.com
- Shipping Info
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We do not offer in-house packing and shipping services. Shipping can be expensive, please consider obtaining an estimate prior to bidding. Below we have listed our preferred shipper as a courtesy, and we will be glad to assist you with your third-party shipping needs, however, we assume no liability for any shipper you use or any loss or damage occasioned in transport or otherwise as a result of shipping.
THE UPS STORE - CRANSTON
148 Atwood Ave, Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 654-6381
THE UPS STORE - PARSONAGE STREET
22 Parsonage Street, Providence, RI 02903
(401) 369-7029
IN PERSON PICK-UPS
In person pick-ups are to be scheduled by appointment during business hours (weekdays 9-4 pm) at 1155 Westminster St. Providence, RI 02909. Please call (401) 273-1618 or email: info@vallots.com.
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