Note 1) The following biographical materials are taken from the Askart.com website:

"A painter of landscapes and figures, muralist, sculptor and teacher, Xavier Gonzalez was born in Almeria, Spain and was active in Provincetown, Massachusetts from 1947. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1921 to 1923 and with his uncle, Jose Arpa. He also studied at the San Carlos Academy in Mexico City and in Paris and in the Far East.

In the 1920's, he went to San Antonio, Texas to assist his uncle as an art instructor, and he spent time there an as art instructor as well as at Newcomb College at Tulane University.
He was one of the early action painters, beginning in the 1930's, which was many years before Jackson Pollock made this style so famous. But he refused to exhibit that kind of work because he didn't want his experiments to be regarded as his final painting.

Source: Peter Falk, "Who Was Who in American Art (Emphasis added)."

The following biographical materials are taken from the http://www.outercapeartauctions.net/

auction%20records/records%20pages/GONZALEZ_ Xavier.htm website:

"Gonzalez, X avier 
Biography: (1898-1993) Studied AIC 1921-23, also in Paris and Mexico City. Member: AWCS, American National Academy, Natl. Assn. Mural Painters (president 1968). Exhibits include: Los Angeles (prize 1930), Arts and Crafts Exhibition (New Orleans, 1937, prize), AIC, PAFA 1939, 46-53, 58 and 66. Also Pepsi Cola Exhibition 1945,47. JS Sargent prize for watercolor Boston, 1946. Grand Central Gallery, 1951-53, MA, Witte Mus. San Antonio, 1968 (retrospective), WMAA, Guggenheim Fellowship (1947), Ford Foundation grant. Also, MMA, New Orleans Mus. of Art, Witte Mus, SAM, War and Peace auditorium Dallas, Dallas MFA, and others. He was well known for drip painting in the style of Jackson Pollock before Jackson Pollock made the style famous. Very well listed artist. (Emphasis added)."

Also, see Askart.com listing of 10 museums that hold Gonzalez works in their collection, including the Whitney Museum of Modern Art, NY, Butler Art Institute, OH, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Lowe Museum of Arts, FL, San Antonio Museum of Art, TX, Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, TX, and San Diego Museum of Art, CA.

Note 2) This "Watercolor of the Antilles" is precisely kind of "drip" painted work of art, which both of the above biographical Gonzalez notes indicate that Gonzalez first developed and, one of the above notes explicitly states that Gonzalez "was well known for his drip painting style of Jackson Pollack before Jackson Pollack made the style famous" Only one of the Gonzalez "drip" watercolors has been offered at auction.

Title/Subject: Notes of Japan #11 Signed. Gouache on paper. 10.25 in. x 15 in. sold for $359 on 8/30/2007 at Heritage Auctions, Dallas TX

This watercolor is significantly smaller than the Gonzalez Antilles watercolor being offered at auction. This "drip" watercolor sold for a price, which does not reflect the historic importance of Gonzales "drip" art work. Gonzalez' other kinds of oil paintings bring on average thousands of dollars, and some of his other watercolors, that are not as historically significant as his "drip" works, reach the $600-$800 price range, per Askart.com. The presale price estimate of $800-$1,200 factors in the historic significance that this Antilles watercolor possesses and is reasonable and justifiable. An astute collector of artists such as Jackson Pollack and collectors of Latino/Hispanic art should give serious consideration to aggressively bidding on this Gonzalez "drip" watercolor and acquiring it as a long term investment.