Innholdsfortegnelse for March-April 2023/No. 68 i American Fine Art Magazine

Welcome to the March/April issue! We are excited to bring to you the complete Collector’s Guide to the 2023 Fine Art & Antique Shows. Beginning on page 57, this comprehensive section will help you plan your year with our curated list of the best shows across the country. We invite you to review our directory of the most significant shows of the year and read about each of their individual specialties. One thing we have learned about historic American art is that our readers are interested in education, and there is a renaissance of buyers looking for the perfect historic painting to complement their growing collection. This show guide will provide a path for you as you make travel plans for the spring, summer and fall ahead. These shows are…

ONGOING Object Lessons in American Art Georgia Museum of Art • Athens, GA Over four centuries of work, this exhibition brings groups of objects together to ask fundamental questions about artistic significance, materials and how meanings change across time and contexts. www.georgiamuseum.org ONGOING Adaline Kent: The Click of Authenticity The Nevada Museum of Art • Reno, NV This is the first retrospective to occur in 60 years of midcentury American artist Adaline Kent, featuring 90 works in a diverse range of media. www.nevadaart.org ONGOING The Bruton Sisters: Modernism in the Making UCI Langson Institute and Museum of California Art • Irvine, CA The presentation, which includes related works by several of their contemporaries, reveals the Bruton sisters’ innovative use of materials, creative approach to design and fruitful collaborative process. www.imca.uci.edu…

Through May 21 High Museum of Art 1280 Peachtree Street, NE Atlanta, GA 30309 t: (404) 733-4400 www.high.org The pioneering modernist painter Joseph Stella (1877-1946), was born in Italy and immigrated to New York in 1896 when he was 18. He is perhaps best known for his paintings of the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1912 he wrote, “I was thrilled to find America so rich with so many new motives to be translated into a new art. Steel and electricity had created a new world. A new drama had surged from the unmerciful violation of darkness at night, by the violent blaze of electricity and a new polyphony was ringing all around with the scintillating, highly colored lights. The steel had leaped to hyperbolic altitudes and expanded to vast latitudes with…

Through May 6 Langson Institute and Museum of California Art University of California, Irvine 18881 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 100 Irvine, CA 92612 t: (949) 476-0003 www.imca.uci.edu Brought together by leading expert and guest curator WendyVan Wyck Good on the overlooked Bruton Sisters, is the first group exhibition of their artwork in more than 50 years. The Bruton Sisters: Modernism in the Making traverses Margaret, Esther and Helen’s most active years of production, and the significant impact they had on the California art scene from the early 1920s through the late 1950s. On view now at the University of California, Irvine, Langson Institute and Museum of California Art (IMCA), the exhibition examines 19 of the artists’ dynamic pieces in relation to another 12 pieces from their contemporaries, mostly woman artists,…

Drawing roughly 2,500 visitors to the Katzen Arts Center at American University over the weekend of January 13, sales at the 2023 Washington Winter Show exceeded those achieved at any recent show to date. According to the producers of the event, this year’s most popular categories were ceramics (in particular Delft, Asian, English and European), furniture, midcentury pieces, silver, paintings, small precious objects, rugs and jewelry. They saw many collectors making purchases across multiple dealers and eras ranging from the 18th - to the mid-20th century. “Much like the show itself, the buying was eclectic covering a wide spectrum of themes, interests and periods,” says executive director, Jonathan G. Willen. The theme of this year’s show, Curating: From Classic to Contemporary, was brought to life by half a dozen “master curators”…

Back-to-back Christie’s sales on January 19 in New York City saw incredible results for American artists across several categories. The double-header sales were 19th Century American Art and From Peale to Peto: American Masters from the Pollack Collection. Both sales had sell-through rates higher than 92 percent. Many of the top highlights came from the 19th-century sale, including the top overall lot: Martin Johnson Heade’s Fighting Hummingbirds with Pink Orchid, which was estimated at $400,000 to $600,000. Bidding shot well past those estimates and finally closed at $945,000. The work was small, measuring just 16.25 by 14 inches—it sold for more than $4,100 per square inch. Another top lot was John George Brown’s A Thrilling Moment, a playful fishing scene with eight children. It sold for $819,000, nearly triple its high…

Tulips, crocuses and irises aren’t the only signs of spring. Another Therald of the season is the sheer number of fine art shows that start to populate the calendar and the country. There are numerous blue chip events throughout the year, but as the days warm into summer, these shows—both historic and contemporary—take on a more breezy feel. The mountains thaw; seaside towns on the East Coast are in full swing and plein air festivals abound. In this issue you will find an entire section dedicated to the 2023 fine art shows. Features by leading industry experts explore the historical connection between decorative objects and fine art; previews of museum exhibitions delve into that relationship and a calendar of this year’s not-to-miss events are all within this comprehensive guide. I…

Masterworks on loan at MFAH The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has announced a partnership with the Sarofim Foundation, in which masterworks from the collection of the late Fayez S. Sarofim will be displayed across the museum’s gallery buildings. Included in Sarofim’s collection, amassed over nearly six decades, is a superb selection of American art, European painting and antiquities from such artists as John Singleton Copley, Frederic Edwin Church, Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, John Singer Sargent, Marsden Hartley, John Marin and Georgia O’Keeffe. An Exciting Lineup The Hispanic Society Museum & Library—dedicated to the preserving, studying and exhibiting of art and culture of Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries and communities—has announced phase one of its reopening with a robust 2023 exhibition schedule. Programming will focus…

Through September 10 Nevada Museum of Art 160 West Liberty Street Reno, NV 89501 t: 775-329-3333 www.nevadaart.org It’s always exciting when an under appreciated artist gets her due. Such is the case with Adaline Kent (1900-1957), the subject of an extensive retrospective, Adaline Kent: The Click of Authenticity, at the Nevada Museum of Art. Like too many women artists, Kent’s name has been overshadowed by male peers such as Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still. The exhibition seeks to redress the past and position Kent as a key figure in modernist art. The museum has devoted an entire floor to Kent’s creations. Featuring approximately 90 pieces, Kent’s entire oeuvre is explored. She worked in a range of media, including drawings, original pictures incised on Hydrocal (a plaster mixture), sculptures and a…

Fine art and antique shows hold a significant place in the marketplace. It is where national and international galleries have the opportunity to increase their exposure and broaden their collector base. No matter how we have adapted to—and even flourished during—pandemic-imposed isolation, I think we’ve all learned that’s there’s no substitute for in-person interactions and the deeper connections that result from them. These events provide a platform for dealers and exhibitors to meet existing and potential clients face-to-face and to essentially bring a scaled-down version of their galleries to collectors. Professionally, these networking opportunities are invaluable, but let’s not forget that community has a lot to do with it too. It takes a tremendous amount of work and significant financial investment to transport art of this quality to and from…

March 17-19, 2023 The Charleston Show Charleston Festival Hall 56 Beaufain Street Charleston, SC 29401 t: (330) 606-8226 www.thecharlestonshow.com Now in its second year, The Charleston Show brings together 30 exhibitors from across the United States, England and throughout Europe, showcasing fine art and antiques, contemporary design and jewelry. From mid-century furniture and folk art, to traditional and contemporary art, the show is building steam in the Charleston, South Carolina, area and beyond. Exhibitors at the 2023 event include Rehs Galleries, David Brooker Fine Art, James Butter worth Antique American Wicker and many others. A preview party takes place the evening of March 16 at 7 p.m., benefitting the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust. “This gala opening event provides an opportunity to support the collections and preservation of the historic estate…

April 19-22 Sotheby’s 1334 York Avenue New York, NY 10021 t: (212) 606-7000 www.sothebys.com Over the course of four days and seven sales, Sotheby’s will bring 1,000-plus lots to auction that include American art, sculpture, furniture, decorative arts and 20th century design with highlights that include pieces by William Merritt Chase, Winslow Homer, Marsden Hartley, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Frank Lloyd Wright, among many others. “The Wolf Family Collection is comprised of a remarkable breadth of exceptional works of fine and decorative arts, with extraordinary examples of paintings and watercolors, sculpture, early American furniture, silver, Chinese export porcelain, design, and jewelry,” notes the auction house. “In its impressive totality the collection embodies the spirit of American artistry, design, and craftsmanship, spanning the 18th through 20th centuries.” Estimated to realize in…

THOMASTON, ME THOMASTON PLACE AUCTION GALLERIES FEBRUARY 24-26 Winter Enchantment Sale A remarkable selection of rarities and fresh-to-market offerings will be on the auction block during Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ three-day Winter Enchantment Sale, including paintings and sculpture, estate jewelry, antique and modern furniture, folk art and more. “This sale offers an intriguing and diverse inventory, with items ranging from [the] 17th century to the 21st century, and items to appeal to all collecting tastes,” says Thomaston Place owner and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux. Among several important American works in the sale are watercolor and graphite work titled Study for Island Geese by Jamie Wyeth; a 1965 offset lithograph in four colors titled Shipboard Girl by Roy Lichtenstein; and Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup (Cream of Mushroom) 1968 limited edition serigraph. HILLSBOROUGH,…

While impressive auction results of historic American paintings and sculpture or an occasional celebrity collector may garner a newspaper headline now and then, there is no magazine, until now, that has offered complete and comprehensive coverage of the upcoming shows and events of this always-fascinating market that is so deeply tied to American history, society and culture. Previews of Upcoming Shows and Auctions The historic fine art of America’s greatest artists is in big demand and if you are serious about acquiring it, you need to know about it sooner so you can plan your collecting strategies. When you subscribe to American Fine Art Magazine you’ll know in advance what major works are coming to market because, every other month, you’ll have access to this valuable information when we email…

Gemma Sudlow has joined Hindman as its new managing director, New York region, in a new role focused on launching the firm’s first full service Manhattan saleroom. Sudlow, an auctioneer with 17 years of experience in business development, will lead a team of Hindman specialists in New York, as well as experts in the key categories of Post-War and contemporary art, photographs, furniture and decorative arts and more. Hindman has also announced the opening of a new Miami office after more than a decade of establishing a strong presence in Florida. This latest expansion gives Hindman representation in three cities in Florida and 16 cities across the United States. The Trustees of the Florence Griswold Museum have named Joshua Campbell Torrance as the next executive director of the 75-year-old cultural…

In efforts to diversify their collection, the Norton Museum of Art based in West Palm Beach, Florida, has acquired an important work by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), the first African American artist to gain international acclaim. The small pastel and watercolor painting Christ at the Home of Mary, exemplifies the artists “masterful rendering of light,” says museum representatives. In the exhibition Henry Ossawa Tanner: Intimate Pictures, the Norton has placed this significant work, depicting religious subject matter, alongside three additional Tanner pieces to showcase his ability to work across different mediums and with varying subject matter. “Whether in his religious pieces or in a landscape, he uses light to highlight what he wants to focus on,” says Ellen E. Roberts, Harold and Anne Berkley Smith senior curator of American art.…

Through March 28 Hawthorne Fine Art New York, NY 575 5th Avenue, 14th Floor New York, NY 10017 t: (212) 731-0550 www.hawthornefineart.com Considered one of the finest painters at the turn of the 20th century, artist and educator Rhoda Holmes Nicholls painted figures, landscapes, seascapes and more—rendered in delicate washes, energetic brushstrokes and a highly tuned sense of light and shadow. An online exhibition at Manhattan based Hawthorne Fine Art features a dozen works by Nicholls in oil, watercolor and gouache landscapes, as well as portraiture and figurative works. Additionally, the show places particular emphasis on the Venetian scenes for which the English-born artist is well known. “Nicholls was an ambitious and internationally recognized artist who excelled in both oil and watercolor,” says Megan Bongiovanni, research associate at Hawthorne Fine…

March 5-May 28 Denver Art Museum 100 W. 14th Avenue Parkway Denver, CO 80204 t: (720) 865-5000 www.denverartmuseum.org Near East to Far West: Fictions of French and American Colonialism at the Denver Art Museum, places the art of the American West—in particular the art of the American Southwest—in an art-historical context embracing aims of empire, representational fictions of Orientalist exoticism, and otherness. As this exhibition makes plain, Orientalism applies to the Occident as well, to Indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere in particular who were equally exoticized and othered. Additional themes speak to the attractions and traps of places presented throughout history as picturesque and adventurous elsewheres—Joseph Conrad’s “dark places of the earth.” The exhibition is brilliant in its simplicity, and while there are hints of the same themes in Brian…

Medill Higgins Harvey Ruth Bigelow Wriston Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts Manager of the Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art American Wing The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 Fifth Avenue, NYC 10028 www.metmuseum.org What is your area of expertise in the field of decorative arts? My curatorial responsibilities include American silver, metalwork, jewelry, and mid-19th century furniture. I have a particular interest in the American decorative arts of the 19th century, which offer fascinating insights into the social, political and cultural history of that era—a dynamic period of profound change during which immigrant craftsmen, a burgeoning middle class with increased disposable income and leisure time, new commitments to providing greater public access to art, and increasing opportunities for women to work as artists and artisans…

April 29-May 1 The Philadelphia Show Philadelphia Museum of Art 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia, PA 19130 www.thephiladelphiashow.com After reaching a landmark 60th anniversary last year, The Philadelphia Show returns to the grounds of the Philadelphia Art Museum’s East Terrace on April 28 with an expanded roster of exceptional exhibitors. Firmly established as a premier destination for museum-quality art and antiques, this year’s event will feature more than 40 leading dealers of fine art, collectible design, antiques, Americana, folk art, ceramics, porcelain, silver, jewelry, textiles and decorative arts. The Philadelphia Show welcome several new exhibitors to the event, joining longstanding and returning galleries, to showcase works spanning from the 16th to the 21st centuries. While remaining true to its focus on American art, many galleries will also present important European…

April 27, 6 p.m. Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers 49 Research Drive Milford, CT 06460 t: (203) 877-1711 www.shannons.com On April 27, Shannon’s will present their Spring 2023 Fine Art Auction, featuring roughly 200 lots that include numerous examples of blue chip American Art. The American Impressionist category includes an exceptional 50 by 60-inch Richard Hayley Lever (1876-1958) entitled High Bridge Over Harlem River, created circa 1913. This large canvas is elegantly framed in an impressive, custom Lowy frame. The package is ready-to-hang and an undeniable show-stopper in the auction gallery. This fresh-to-the-market painting is being offered from a private Connecticut collection of American paintings. From the same collection, is a bucolic landscape by J. Alden Weir called Summer in Connecticut - The Old Barn at Branchville. Weir lived in Branchville…

Across three consecutive sales, Freeman’s American Art Week reached $3,908,835—testament to the strength of the market for fine 20th-and 21st-century paintings, particularly for women artists and Pennsylvania Impressionist works. Held December 4, 2022, American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists set new auction records for multiple artists, including Bo Bartlett, whose monumental 2015 canvas The Promised Land led the sale at $352,800. William Herbert Dunton’s Grizzly Bear followed closely at $302,400, a remarkable result that exceeded the painting’s pre-sale high estimate by six times—the result of heated bidding among nearly a dozen collectors. Sale prices likewise exceeded their estimates for landscapes by Edith Lucille Howard and Susette Keast, breaking records for the two Philadelphia Ten painters. Venetian Canal (Ponte dei Bareteri), an Italian scene by Jane Peterson, another woman artist who captured…