There are few things more American than the Broadway theater. So when we found out that the personal properties of Tony Award winning playwright and producer Arthur Laurents were coming to auction in New York City, we had to go see what kind of things a Broadway legend collects. Remarkably, this consignment did not go to one of the International houses but to a small auction gallery in Greenwich village owned and operated by brothers Billy and Robert Roland.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Keno to Add European Works to June Sale
In a departure from the purely American sales Leigh Keno usually curates, the June 12 auction promises 73 important American and European works of art dating from the 16th through 20th Centuries.
One of the works has not been on the market for more than 100 years. It is “Morning Fishing Boats at Anchor” by Hendrik Willem Mesdag (Dutch, 1831 – 1915). The painting was bought directly from the artist at the turn of the 20th Century. (It is today’s featured image.) In an interesting turn of events, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Historic Park McCullough Association.
Norman Rockwell at the Crocker Museum
Editor’s Note: Information below and images from ArtfixDaily.com
The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, CA opens a Norman Rockwell exhibit on from November 10, 2012. “American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell” features 50 paintings and 323 original “Saturday Evening Post” covers.
“Rockwell’s images have become icons of the American experience and continue to resonate with each generation,” says Scott A. Shields, the Crocker Art Museum’s Associate Director and Chief Curator. “This exhibition includes numerous paintings that have helped define who we are.”
This exhibition explores Rockwell’s the themes of family (“Freedom from Want” and “Christmas Homecoming”), innocence (“Girl at Mirror”), and hometown heroism (“Mine America’s Coal”) that permeate his work.
Americana & African-American Art
We couldn’t allow February to roll by without talking about Black History Month. I see by the New York Times that Macy’s is celebrating by honoring the legacy of Romare Beardon. He may well be the best known of the contemporary African-American artists, but he is not certainly the only one.
Until recently, many of the most noted African-American artists were tossed into the category of Outsider art, mostly because motivated dealers searching for something new tracked down the obsessive artists and cultivated them. Artists like Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859 – 1937) and Black modernists and Abstract Expressionists could be found among lots of American Art, Modern and Contemporary art.
William T. Williams (1942 - ), Eastern Star, acrylic on canvas, 1971
In an interesting dovetailing of interests, Swan’s Auction Gallery in New York and an NAACP fueled campaign are now putting these artists into a new category, African-American Artists. The new collections coming to the fore stand to be admired. The works are simply excellent.
An NAACP backed gallery show took place last Fall in Chelsea. It was big, it was broad, it was amazing. And, on Thursday, February 16, Swan’s Auction Gallery in New York will hold its 6th annual sale of African-American Fine Art.
According to Nigel Freeman, specialist, this is the time to buy African American art. It’s not undervalued, he said recently at an “Art of Leadership” lecture; its painters have simply been unknown.
Master works by Max Roach, abstracts by Norman W. Lewis, Mavis Pusey, William T. Williams, Hughie Lee Smith cmake a commanding presence in Swann’s catalog.
By next year, we expect a few auction houses to catch on the phenom. So, if you are into excellent Americana created by a sector of the art world thath as been overlooked, check out the offerings at Swann’s.
Outsider Art Fair Preview Tonight
Tonight, the Outsider Art Fair opens with a gala preview. (I love this event. One year, Lynn Cheney showed up. Another year, Whoopi Goldberg. It is amazing the range of individuals Outsider art appeals to.)
You may know Outsider art by any number of names, including Art Brut or Raw Art. Whatever you call it, this art is created by untrained artists working in, mostly, non-traditional media. The one thing the artists have in common is that they work obsessively. Many are not recognized throughout their lifetime and, when they are, gallerists and the rest of the art world tiptoes around them to assure that they don’t become sophisticated to the ways of the art world and, thereby, lose their status as outsiders.
Whether working with pigments or peach pits, Outsiders deliver some startling creations.
Peach Stone miniatures
I’m serious about the peach stones. One of the annual exhibitors, Marion Harris, is showing a collection miniatures meticulously carved from peach stones. You’ll see shoes, brushes, letters, numbers, sewing tools, books, baskets, fishing hooks, all about 1” tall and half as wide. The artist is A.W. Gimbi, a 19th Century barber from McAdoo, PA.
There are of course paintings, sculptures, whirly-gigs – and more.
Definitely, Outsider is worth a look-see. And, Sandford Smith will never let you down when it comes to running a unique show. I believe that it is due to his initiatives that Outsider Art has obtained a huge following that includes the “new demographic,” people who love contemporary. Talk about a cross-over genre.
I’ve seen this show’s walls stripped bare. So, if you’re going, try to come tonight. The preview is only $35 a pop.
Outsider runs January 27 – 29, at 7 West 34th Street. For more info, visit www.sanfordsmith.com
