Stories for August '18

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New Owner for Wolfeboro Antiques & Artisan Barn
by M.A.D. staff

The Wolfeboro Antiques & Artisan Barn in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, is under new management. Kyle Copeland now owns and manages the 30-dealer group shop that has been in business for almost 20 years and was formerly known as the 1810 House. The shop is located in a 1765 two-story dairy ... (Read More)

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William Birch, Ingenious Artist
by Lita Solis-Cohen

In celebration of the tenth anniversary of its Visual Culture Program, the Library Company of Philadelphia has mounted an exhibition, William Birch, Ingenious Artist: His Life, His Philadelphia Views, and His Legacy, and will hold a one-day symposium on October 5, “William Birch and the Complexities of American Visual Culture.” The ... (Read More)

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The Wyeth Experience: A Series of Special Tours
by M.A.D. staff

The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, is offering a special series of tours, “The Wyeth Experience.” These three-hour tours include the museum’s Wyeth Center and the Olson House in Cushing, where Andrew Wyeth painted for three decades. Tours will take place Friday and Saturday mornings throughout July, August, and ... (Read More)

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TEFAF and Artvest Separate
by M.A.D. staff

In 2016 TEFAF (The European Fine Art Foundation) expanded into the United States, a move facilitated by Artvest, owned by Michael Plummer and Jeff Rabin, via a two-year management services agreement with TEFAF New York. The TEFAF New York Fall show was launched in October 2016, and TEFAF New York ... (Read More)

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Lollipop Tree Turns Sour
by M.A.D. staff

Contemporary artist Wayne Thiebaud, almost 100 years old, personally confirmed in February 2018 that he painted a million-dollar picture. Three months later, Thiebaud retracted that claim. Now the buyer wants his money back, and the whole matter has landed in court. Lollipop Tree sold for $1,080,000 at Nadeau’s Auction Gallery on ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Books Received, August 2018
by M.A.D. staff

These are brief reviews of books recently sent to us. We have included ordering information for publishers that accept mail, phone, or online orders. For other publishers, your local bookstore or a mail-order house is the place to look. Biographies of Western Photographers: A Reference Guide to Photographers Working in the ... (Read More)

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What’s It Worth? Celebrates Four-Year Anniversary
by M.A.D. staff

Mike Ivankovich’s What’s It Worth? radio show on WBCB 1490 AM celebrated its fourth anniversary on July 13. Since July 2014 Ivankovich has hosted 200-plus shows featuring a wide variety of local, regional, and national guests, including authors, auctioneers, editors, columnists, and experts. The show’s focus is antiques and collectibles, ... (Read More)

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Four Antiques Dealers Charged with Illegal Sales
by M.A.D. staff

Four Hudson, New York, antiques store owners were charged with felonies on June 26 in connection with the illegal sale of ivory. Acting on a tip and supporting an ongoing statewide effort to combat the illegal sale of endangered and threatened species products in New York, investigators with the New York ... (Read More)

(Young Collectors)

Social Skills
by Hollie Davis and Andrew Richmond

The Young Collector Back in 2013, we wrote a column about social media and the power it has to build communities and audiences (“Just Be Yourself,” September 2013). That column was prompted by the success of Chief David Oliver in Brimfield, Ohio. Oliver, a small-town police chief, became an overnight sensation ... (Read More)

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Letters from London, August 2018
by Ian McKay,

Letter from London The most expensive things featured in this month’s “Letter” are drawn from the round of Impressionist and modern picture sales mounted in London in June, but Russian works of art, a rare Mozart manuscript, one of Napoleon’s “sideways” hats, and one of those legendary found-in-the-attic lots, in this ... (Read More)

(Book Review)

Rather Elegant Than Showy
by Lita Solis-Cohen

A Book Review Robert D. Mussey Jr. and Clark Pearce tell a compelling story about the career of Isaac Vose, a savvy Boston businessman with very good taste who provided richly veneered, elegant mahogany and rosewood furniture to Boston Brahmins between 1789 and 1825. They take their readers to Boston during a ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Suzan McClellan-Whiting, Woodstock, New York
by Frank Donegan

In the Trade One of the pleasures of writing this feature each month is discovering the myriad paths people take on their way to becoming antiques dealers. Rarely are two paths the same. It’s not like becoming an investment banker. You don’t need a Harvard MBA. Suzan McClellan-Whiting. She’s sitting in her ... (Read More)

(Computer Article)

Health Issues and Reading Magazines Online
by John P. Reid, [email protected]

Computer Column #355 Computer user health issues and getting magazines online will be discussed. Vertical Mouse The widespread use of personal computers has raised myriad health concerns, from fading eyesight to ankle damage. There are excellent websites with suggestions for workstations, posture, and exercise. One from Princeton University (1) is up to date ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Exhibitions, August 2018
by M.A.D. staff

Maine Antique Digest includes, as space permits, brief announcements of exhibitions planned by galleries, museums, or other venues. We need all press materials at least six weeks in advance of opening. We need to know the hours and dates of the exhibit, admission charges, and phone number and website for ... (Read More)

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The Philadelphia History Museum Closes to the Public
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Is it a sign of the times that the Philadelphia History Museum, plagued with financial difficulties, suspended its public hours on June 30 and closed its doors? The museum on 7th Street below Market, in a building designed by John Haviland in 1826 as the first home of the Franklin Institute, ... (Read More)

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The Met’s Record Year
by M.A.D. staff

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City announced on July 5 that it welcomed more than 7.35 million visitors to its three locations—The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Cloisters, and The Met Breuer—in the fiscal year that ended on June 30. It is the highest fiscal year attendance ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Record-Breaking Result for Marie Zimmermann Jewelry
by Mary Ann Brown

Antique Jewelry & Gemology Photos courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center The results of Rago Arts and Auction Center’s sale of fine jewelry on June 10 illustrated certain market trends and revealed that soft sections of the market may be making gains. In a telephone interview after the sale, Katherine Van Dell, jewelry ... (Read More)

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Moravian Flask Brings $28,600
by M.A.D. staff

A 6 5/8" tall Moravian pottery flask in the form of a woman wearing a green dress and holding a flower sold for $28,600 (includes buyer’s premium) on June 2 at Kennedy’s Auction Service’s sale in Selmer, Tennessee, of the Carl Smith estate. The circa 1811 piece is thought to ... (Read More)

(Show)

The Spring Antiques at Rhinebeck Show
by Clayton Pennington

Rhinebeck, New York Frank Gaglio had a problem. The spring edition of Barn Star Productions’ Antiques at Rhinebeck Show was cruising right along—there was good weather and a large crowd, and sales were being made. The fly in the ointment? His on-site shipper had not shown up and was not returning ... (Read More)

(Auction)

American Art
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Bonhams, New York City Photos courtesy Bonhams American Modernists dominated the small sale held at Bonhams the afternoon of May 23. The hourlong sale of 56 lots totaled $2,112,750. Forty-seven lots sold, for a sell-through rate of 84%. John Marin (1870-1953), Sea in Red (Version II), 1948. The signed and dated oil on ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Christie’s Adds $32.8 Million to American Art Total for May
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Christie’s, New York City Photos courtesy Christie’s Christie’s sale of American art on May 22, held less than two weeks after its record-breaking sale of the Rockefeller collection of art of the Americas, did not disappoint. Of the 84 lots offered, 69 sold, for a sell-through rate of 82%. The sale totaled ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Bombé Desk Brings $240,000
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

CRN Auctions, Cambridge, Massachusetts A Chippendale mahogany bombé desk made between 1765 and 1770 was the runaway favorite at CRN Auctions’ May 20 sale in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, gallery. Prospective buyers had streamed to the auction gallery to see it. Bidding on the desk, estimated at $30,000/50,000, opened at $50,000 and ... (Read More)

(Auction)

The Spring Sale at Wooten & Wooten
by Pete Prunkl

Wooten & Wooten, Camden, South Carolina Photos courtesy Wooten & Wooten On May 19, while the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex were celebrating with family and friends, auctioneer Jeremy Wooten was working. He spent six hours—10 a.m. to 4 p.m.—pushing 810 lots across the auction block. That’s a sizzling 135 lots ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Cover and Content: The May Sale at Brunk Auctions
by Pete Prunkl

Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina Streamers of bold primary colors dominated a gallery wall and the covers of the Brunk Auctions catalog for its May 11 and 12 sale. Solomon “Sol” LeWitt’s Wavy Brushstrokes, a gouache on heavy paper, was impossible to miss. Inside the catalog was an equally powerful display. ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Hilliard & Co. Offers a Breath of Fresh Air
by Walter C. Newman

Hilliard & Co. Auctioneers LLC, Madison, Virginia Photos courtesy Hilliard & Co. Hilliard & Co. Auctioneers LLC held a catalog sale at its Madison, Virginia, salesrooms on May 12. This is the first sale by the firm to be reported on by M.A.D. The company is relatively new; it was established in ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Fine Art Leads the Way at Weschler’s
by Walter C. Newman

Weschler’s Auctioneers & Appraisers, LLC, Rockville, Maryland Photos courtesy Weschler’s Auctioneers & Appraisers, LLC Weschler’s most recent cataloged “Capital Collections” auction was held on May 11 at the firm’s Rockville, Maryland, showrooms. The sale offered a broad mix of material from across most categories but with a definite concentration on fine art. ... (Read More)

(Auction)

The Rockefeller Collection: Art of the Americas
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Christie’s, New York City Photos courtesy Christie’s The collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller, some 1550 objects, included a historic and encyclopedic collection of art of the Americas. Christie’s evening sale on May 9 offered 41 lots, and after two hours all lots had been sold.The total of $106,883,500 (including buyers’ premiums) ... (Read More)

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TEFAF New York Spring
by Julie Schlenger Adell

New York City TEFAF New York is here to stay. The second iteration of the May show (held May 3-8) clearly established itself in the realm of art fairs as a must-see event. It was a heady week for art fairs, with Frieze New York and others happening simultaneously, and the ... (Read More)

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Bob Bockius’s Greater York Show Nears 50th Anniversary
by Karl H. Pass

Greater York Antiques Show, York, Pennsylvania Bob Bockius of Mitchell Displays held the Greater York Antiques Show in Memorial Hall East of the York Expo Center in York, Pennsylvania, on May 4 and 5. The show was expected to host around 55 dealers—there were 26. In spite of the size and ... (Read More)

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Scrimshaw Weekend and Nautical Antiques Show
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

New Bedford, Massachusetts For three decades scholars, historians, collectors, and dealers have converged on the annual Scrimshaw Weekend at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The weekend now includes the Nautical Antiques Show. People go to inspect and acquire maritime objects of historical and aesthetic importance, learn about ... (Read More)

(Auction)

New Discoveries and Old Favorites Sell Strong at Slotin Folk Art Auction
by Susan Emerson Nutter

Slotin Folk Art Auction, Buford, GeorgiaPhotos courtesy Slotin Folk Art Auction Slotin Folk Art Auction continues to have its fingers on the pulse of what constitutes the genre known as Outsider or self-taught art, and the company continues to succeed at bringing the best this collecting field has to offer. Steve ... (Read More)

(Auction)

The Sale of Dodo Hamilton’s Collection
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Freeman’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy Freeman’s Alasdair Nichol, chairman of Freeman’s in Philadelphia, has had success with single-owner estate sales over the past few years. It was easy for him to convince the family of Dorrance “Dodo” Hamilton (1928-2017) to hold a single-owner sale in Philadelphia, where she was a well-known philanthropist ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Black Unicorns and Historical Blues
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Pook & Pook, Downingtown, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy Pook & Pook One end of a black unicorn-decorated dower chest was pictured on the cover of Pook & Pook’s April 28 auction catalog. Both ends of the chest were in very good condition, and the decoration on the top was partially visible in the ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Vintage Decoy and Sporting Collectibles Show and Auction
by Danielle Arnet

Guyette & Deeter, Inc./Midwest Decoy Collectors Association, St. Charles, Illinois One bonus of going to diverse collecting events is learning something new. As example, we didn’t have a clue about canoe cups until Rick Sandstrom, president of the Midwest Decoy Collectors Association (MDCA), showed us examples owned by Robert Burger at ... (Read More)

(Auction)

New York from Brooklyn Sells for $162,500
by Jackie Sideli

Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers, Milford, Connecticut Photos courtesy Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers Gene Shannon and Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers had a successful auction at the gallery in Milford, Connecticut, on April 26. The top lot of the auction, New York from Brooklyn by Colin Campbell Cooper (1856-1937), a dramatic oil on board ... (Read More)

(Auction)

American History Sells Well
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Freeman’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy Freeman’s Freeman’s Americana sale on April 25 demonstrated that there is still a strong market for American history among passionate group of collectors and dealers. Bidding erupted with gusto when American books and ephemera consigned by a prominent Quaker family crossed the block. Toward the end of ... (Read More)

(Auction)

California and Western Paintings and Sculpture
by Alice Kaufman

Bonhams, Los Angeles, California Photos courtesy Bonhams Sales totaled $2,685,000 at Bonhams’ April 24 auction held in Los Angeles and simulcast in San Francisco. San Francisco-based specialist Aaron Bastian said, “We saw broad and deep interest in the sale, with a continued focus from our buyers on the big names in California ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Scottish Rite Masonic Center Sells Collection
by Kay Manning

Bailey’s Honor Auction & Estate Service, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Photos courtesy Bailey’s Honor Auction & Estate Service In November 2017 the Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center’s members sold their organization’s home of more than 100 years. The 130-year-old building in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin—which is 70,000 square feet and includes a 470-seat theatre—contained an ... (Read More)

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AD 20/21
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

AD 20/21 Home & Boston Print Fair, Boston, Massachusetts This year’s Boston’s AD 20/21 Home & Boston Print Fair, held April 12-15, was a feast for the eyes. Added to the roster of dealers in fine art, prints, and mid-century modern were designers and fine furniture makers. There was something for ... (Read More)

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Colonial Williamsburg Acquires Rare Portrait
by M.A.D. staff

There are only six known portraits by artist William Dering. Now, after receiving the portrait Joyce Armistead Booth (Mrs. Mordecai Booth), the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has five of them in its collection. “Executed in saturated, well-preserved reds, blues, and golds, and measuring more than four feet in height, this likeness of ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Freedman’s Bank Pays Big Dividends
by Dick Friz

Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions In the waning moments of Bertoia’s spring “Signature Sale” on April 27 and 28 in Vineland, New Jersey, a New York City collector quietly closed the deal at $132,000 (includes buyer’s premium) for a Freedman’s mechanical bank. The transaction promptly transformed grapes into champagne, and ... (Read More)
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