Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2017/ No.33 i American Fine Art Magazine

It’s not that big. Probably no larger than an ample two-story suburban house. With about 5,000 square feet of gallery space, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe must be one of the smallest art museums in the country. Yet its reach and impact have been enormous. As the museum readies itself to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its opening in July of 1997, it has participated in a major retrospective of the artist’s work and several other special exhibitions that have introduced a new generation of museumgoers in far-flung locations to the quiet enormity of O’Keeffe’s 60-year career and the surprisingly supple way in which she transformed deeply felt responses to nature into a resonant language that moves with nuanced precision between observation and abstraction. Through much of her…

June 6-July 29 Somerville Manning Gallery Breck’s Mill, 2nd Floor 101 Stone Block Row Greenville, DE 19807 t: (302) 652-0271 www.somervillemanning.com The 100th birthday of Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) is July 12. It is a good time to re-examine one of the most popular and one of the most vilified American artists. Large retrospective exhibitions and smaller, more intimate exhibitions will take place over the next few months approaching the artist and his work from the perspective not only of the passing of time but also the passing of some of his harshest critics. Somerville Manning Gallery in Greenville, Delaware, began its association with the Wyeth family in the 1980s when it began representing the estate of N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), Andrew’s father. It has since shown Andrew’s work as well as…

May 8-31 Menconi + Schoelkopf 13 E. 69th Street New York, NY 10021 t: (212) 879-8815 www.msfineart.com The definition of American modernism is one that can have varying perspectives, as it developed out of a number of artistic styles and influences. Roughly dating from the 1913 Armory Show to the end of World War II, the movement saw the emergence of distinct groups of artists—such as the Stieglitz Circle— to those working independently. This May, Menconi + Schoelkopf in New York City will present the exhibition American Modernism, which will display up to 15 examples of these works to highlight the unique aspects of the genre. “The essential thread that we’re trying to draw out is there is this strong connection between turn of the century art, Ashcan work and…

Through June 18 The Met Breuer 945 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10021 t: (212) 923-3700 www.metmuseum.org Marsden Hartley (1877–1943) was a peripatetic painter. Born in Maine, he received a scholarship to study at the Cleveland Museum of Art that, in turn, awarded him a stipend to study for five years in New York. In 1889-90 he studied with William Merritt Chase at the New York School of Art and later studied at the National Academy of Design from 1900 to 1904. He also came under the influence of avant-garde artists from Europe, notably Cézanne, whose work was becoming known there. In the summers, he painted in Maine. Following successful exhibitions in 1909 and 1912 at Alfred Stieglitz’s 291 Gallery, he was able to travel to Europe. His restlessness brought…

May 23, 5 p.m. Sotheby’s 1334 York Avenue New York, NY 10021 t: (212) 606-7000 www.sothebys.com With names like Rockwell, Sargent, Homer and Hartley, Sotheby’s is bringing topquality works to bidders during its May 23 American art auction in New York. The sale will feature as many as 130 works, which specialists at the auction house are calling a “terrific grouping.” “It’s a really strong group of works across various categories,” says Liz Sterling, the senior vice president and senior specialist in the American art department at Sotheby’s. “Whether it’s illustration, modernism or impressionism, we have incredible works across the board.” The star of the sale, thus far, is John Singer Sargent’s John Alfred Parsons Millet, a portrait of a young lad gazing peacefully from a warm interior scene decorated…

June 4, 2 p.m. Freeman’s 1808 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 t: (215) 563-9275 www.freemansauction.com Freeman’s spring American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists auction will be a smaller, more selective sale than it has been in the past, with high-quality work from Otto Henry Bacher, Martin Lewis and Fern Isabel Coppedge among the items being offered. “We’ll have a very nice section of Pennsylvania Impressionists this season,” says Freeman’s vice chairman Alasdair Nichol. “It’s really shaping up to be a great sale.” One of the star lots will be Daniel Garber’s Lone Sycamore, estimated at $400,000 to $600,000. Fresh to auction from a private collection in Philadelphia, the painting once belonged to Harold D. Saylor, a judge on the Philadelphia Orphans’ Court and one of Garber’s leading patrons. Painted around 1940,…

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has announced Brooke Davis Anderson as the Edna S. Tuttleman Director of the Museum. Anderson most recently served as executive director of Prospect New Orleans and has more than 25 years of arts and cultural experience…Chad Alligood has been named the chief curator of American art at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Garden. He comes from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where he served as curator…The Philadelphia Museum of Art has broken ground on a new Frank Gehry-designed renovation…Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Thomas P. Campbell will step down from his position at the end of June. Daniel H. Weiss will serve as interim CEO and work with Campbell and the museum leadership on a…

In my mind, for as long as I can remember, there has been a connection between the paintings of Andrew Wyeth and the poems of Robert Frost. I’m sure I’m not the only one to feel this, nor even the first, and I’m equally sure that some scholar out there would quite easily find the cracks in this connection I feel— or is it see?—and the bridge I have built between Wyeth and Frost would crumble. It’s something about the muted colors in Frost’s verses and Wyeth’s canvases, something about what seems on the surface of each to be a straightforward, foursquare approach to their subjects, their passions, their intentions, something about the secrets that lie beneath or just beyond those surfaces. It’s something about the spindly woods, about how…

April 27-June 3 ACA Galleries 529 W. 20th Street, New York, NY 10011 (212) 206-8080 www.acagalleries.com In 1953, Grace Hartigan made a name for herself when her work was featured in the Museum of Modern Art’s Twelve Americans exhibition. From April 27 to June 3, a retrospective of Hartigan’s work from the 1950s to 2000s will be on view at ACA Galleries. During the mid-1950s, Hartigan broke with the abstract movement, adding figuration back into her work, much to the dismay of powerful art critic Clement Greenberg, who thought the change made her work seem too old fashioned. The change also temporarily alienated her from close artist friends, including Robert Goodnough and Joan Mitchell. “Hartigan’s expressive figuration resulted from deep emotional and psychological identifications with her subjects and a re-evaluation…

Through July 2 Boca Raton Museum of Art 501 Plaza Real Boca Raton, FL 33432 t: (561) 392-2500 www.bocamuseum.org In the late 19th century, after the Civil War, there was a growing interest in Americans to travel to the Mediterranean. With the advent of the steamship, the region had become more accessible and its culture and history were captivating to tourists. Among the most famous Americans to visit these locales was Mark Twain, whose travel book The Innocents Abroad, published in 1869, chronicled his observations and critiques of the culture and society in places such as the Holy Land, the Papal States and Rome. American artists also were motivated to visit the Mediterranean and capture in paint their experiences. Many of them, painting in the late 19th and early 20th…

May 3, 11 a.m. Heritage Auctions Design District Showroom 1518 Slocum Street Dallas, TX 75207 t: (877) 437-4824 www.ha.com With approximately 150 lots crossing the block, the Heritage Auctions American Art Signature Auction on May 3 is set to provide collectors material from all areas of the market. “It is once again a very well-rounded sale,” says Aviva Lehmann, director of American art at the auction house. “It’s a great syllabus of American art history, with everything from Hudson River School to early American modernism, great Western, great illustration, realism. Every category is covered and covered well. We are very proud of the sale and it’s all entirely fresh to the market, which is nice to see because our clients are looking for that.” One of the most notable items…

On March 21, John Moran Auctioneers’ California and American Fine Art sale garnered $860,000 in sales with a 70-percent sellthrough rate. The sale featured 255 lots, many of which were consigned from important estates and collections, and the auction house continued their trend of establishing auction records for undervalued artists. The first 69 lots of the auction were dedicated to works from the private collection of California watercolorist Gerald Brommer and his wife Georgia as part of a special session called An Artist Collects. Three artist records were set during this session, including a watercolor by Electra Stamelos. Series #99 – 3 Tondos had a conservative presale estimate of $400 to $600, but competition from multiple bidders brought the watercolor to $3,300, a record for the artist. Artist records were…

DE YOUNG deyoung.famsf.org In Stuart Davis: In Full Swing, the de Young, part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, will hold the first major exhibition in 20 years dedicated to the artist. Davis was a key figure in American Modernism, and the exhibition will display 75 works. Beginning with the Davis’ earliest efforts to break through painting tobacco packages and moving ahead five decades to his final work, the exhibit is all encompassing and highlights Davis’ habit of recycling earlier work for new compositions. In Full Swing will remain on view through August 6. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART www.metmuseum.org The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has announced that its public domain artworks will be available for free and unrestricted use. To maximize the reach of…

The Birmingham Museum of Art has recently acquired two pieces, both of which refiect the museum’s history intertwined with the South’s Jim Crow laws. As a department of the city of Birmingham, in the 1950s and 1960s, the museum only allowed black visitors one day a week. After Birmingham elected its first black city council member in 1971, it became part of the museum’s mission to create a more inclusive collection. The first of the two recently acquired pieces is Tending the Ground by the black landscape artist Edward Mitchell Bannister. Bannister was an active participant in the New England art scene in the late 1800s, despite facing opposition due to his race. The Rhode Island landscape served as his inspiration, and Bannister painted with a soft, limited palette to…

High in a modern condominium in Bellevue, Washington, is a collection of American impressionist paintings that is right at home in the sleek, light-filled space. Its former home was darker and traditional—and the art fit right in as well. However, in their new home, the collectors are experiencing it more intimately since it is gathered into a smaller but more open space where they can see every piece every day. There are no longer back bedrooms where a painting might hang unnoticed for days. When the couple purchased the condo, the walls were a soft green and the interior structural columns were painted purple. Today the space is a uniform pale blue, a perfect backdrop for gilt frames and bright impressionist colors. “Blue is our favorite color,” she explains. “We…

May 20-July 1 Vose Galleries 238 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116 t: (617) 536-6176 www.vosegalleries.com After an extended stay in Turkey in 1924, painter Jane Peterson came to Boston with more than 50 new works that were exhibited the following year in a massive show mounted by Robert C. Vose and Vose Galleries. “Championing women artists was not new to my great-grandfather,” says Vose Galleries director Carey Vose. “He began showing their work as early as 1913, and since that time Vose Galleries has presented nearly 100 onewoman exhibitions. Peterson’s work has been a favorite of all of the past four generations of our family, especially my parents who have owned a wonderful Gloucester street scene by the artist for many years.” Ninety-two years after first showing her work, Vose…

Kicking off New York Arts Week, The Art Show welcomed 2,400 guests to its opening gala on February 28. The 2017 event was strongly attended, with approximately 15,000 visitors throughout the fiveday run. Seventy-two members of the ADAA exhibited at the show, which took place at the Park Avenue Armory. “The Art Show 2017 vibrantly reflected the renowned expertise and unparalleled quality that define the ADAA, our members and the artists they represent,” says Adam Sheffer, ADAA president. “As a fair organized by a national community of art dealers, The Art Show’s emphasis is on fostering the most effective environment for engaging closely with works of art from the 19th century to today. We’re very pleased to continue to mount a fair that serves as such a strong platform for…

Through August 6 National Gallery of Art 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20565 t: (202) 737-4215 www.nga.gov During the past decade, the National Gallery of Art has acquired prints from the Reba and Dave Williams Collection, the Corcoran Collection, and the collection of Bob Stana and Tom Judy. A selection of 25 of these prints will make up the gallery’s latest exhibition, The Urban Scene: 1920-1950. All in black-and-white, the prints interpret the beauty and power of urban life in the mid-20th century. One of the show’s centerpieces is a lithograph by Armin Landeck titled View of New York. “It’s the most grand, beautiful, awe-inspiring view from 40 stories up,” says Charlie Ritchie, associate curator at National Gallery of Art. “It’s a fantastic view of the solitude…

May 23, 10 a.m. Christie’s 20 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10020 t: (212) 636-2000 www.christies.com Western art is often considered a subcategory within the larger umbrella of American art. This is not a negative distinction, but one that Western collectors are often proud of when searching for images of cowboys and cattle, vistas of untapped lands west of the Mississippi, and adventurous images of Native Americans or early pioneer settlers—the very label “Western art” speaks to their home and interests. In Christie’s May 23 auction in New York City, the auction house is ofiering works that many would call “Western art,” but are considered so iconic that they have transcended Western art entirely. The first and most prominent in this group is Frederic Remington’s A Dash for the Timber,…

May 24, 10 a.m. Bonhams 580 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10022 t: (212) 644-9001 www.bonhams.com At 10 a.m. on May 24, Bonhams will host a tightly curated sale of approximately 80 lots of fine American art. The auctions spans all genres of the market including Hudson River School, early 19th century, modernism, Ashcan and more. “What we’ve tried to do is focus on things that are fresh to the market and have been in private hands for a number of years,” says Kayla Carlsen, director of American art at Bonhams. “It’s been pretty evenly spaced and will have property representative of each category—a little bit of everything for everyone.” One highlight of the auction is Marsden Hartley’s 1910 painting New Hampshire Landscape, #39 (est. $400/600,000). The work arrives to…