Stories for January '20
(Fragment)Wunsch Award for Excellence
Lita Solis-Cohen, senior editor of Maine Antique Digest; Laura Beach, editor-at-large of Antiques and The Arts Weekly; and Mira Nakashima, architect, designer, and furniture maker at George Nakashima Woodworkers, will be honored as the 2020 recipients of the Eric M. Wunsch Award for Excellence in the American Arts on January ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Decorative Arts Trust Awards Concord Museum Curatorial Internship Grant
The Decorative Arts Trust has announced that the Concord Museum, Concord, Massachusetts, will be its partner for its 2020-22 Curatorial Internship Grant.
The Decorative Arts Trust is a nonprofit organization that underwrites curatorial internships for recent master’s degree or Ph.D. graduates in collaboration with museums and historical societies. Through a matching ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Books Received
These are brief reviews of books recently sent to us. We have included ordering information for publishers that accept phone or online orders. For other publishers, your local bookstore or a mail-order house is the place to look.
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Edith Halpert, The Downtown Gallery, and the Rise of American Art by Rebecca ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Americana Week in New York City: A Preview
It is called Americana Week in New York City in January, although it is usually a fortnight full of auction previews, lectures, sales, and shows. This year, it’s nearly a month. Auction previews begin on January 11 when Outsider art goes on view at Christie’s, and the “week” ends on ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Roy J. Zuckerberg’s Silver Collection
A Book Review
Roy J. Zuckerberg is an ardent collector of American silver and a great friend of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He underwrote the research and publication of the Met’s catalog Early American Silver in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Beth Carver Wees, published in 2013, the first ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)The Wigmore Gift
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced the promised gift of 88 examples of American Aesthetic Movement and Gilded Age decorative arts and contemporaneous paintings from the collection of Barrie A. and Deedee Wigmore, who live with one of the preeminent holdings of late 19th-century art in private hands. The ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Duveen Brothers: Dealers and Advisors
A Book Review
Charlotte Vignon, curator of decorative arts at The Frick Collection and visiting associate professor at the Bard Graduate Center in New York City, has written a revealing book about the role of Duveen Brothers as dealers and advisors in the formation of major American collections of decorative arts ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, January 2020
As ever at this time of year, I have been looking out for something to serve as a “Letter from London” Christmas card, and I found something in a December 3-10, 2019, Sotheby’s book sale that seemed to fit the bill.
The Carol Singers is a pencil and watercolour drawing by ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Another Trip Around the Sun
The Young Collector
People are fond of telling tired parents, “The days are long, but the years are short.” Time does seem to change after having children, but perhaps not in that way. Unlike most of the things around us or at least in comparison to them, children change rapidly. The ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Newly Expanded, Peabody Essex Museum Is “A Whole Window on the World”
My first reaction to touring the new galleries at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, just before its public opening on September 28, 2019, was indignation. PEM has had all these treasures for decades, if not centuries, and I’m only just getting to see them now? My second ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Harsh Punishment for Peddling
This is the one that should break the camel’s back.
According to a report in the Everett Herald, Donald Rooney, a 72-year-old longtime antiques dealer from Everett, Washington, is going to jail for 15 days.
Not only is Rooney going to jail, he’s facing a month of house arrest with electronic monitoring, ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, January 2020
Leila Jeffreys, Candle, 2019, photographic ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2019 Delaware Show
Delaware Antiques Show, Wilmington, Delaware
There is no question that the Delaware Antiques Show is one of the very best for Americana. Collectors come from all parts of the country knowing that a large contingent of dealers in American furniture, textiles, silver, folk art, ceramics, pewter, and silver made or used ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Eglin Collection Buoys Jewelry Auction
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy Freeman’s
Freeman’s November 5, 2019, auction of jewelry and watches began with a group of mostly antiques that brought solid prices and ended with the sale of a marquise-cut diamond ring that brought the top price of the auction.
Virginia Salem, Freeman’s vice president, head of jewelry ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Skinner Americana
Skinner, Inc., Marlborough, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Skinner, Inc.
Color prevailed at Skinner’s November 2 and 3, 2019, Americana auction in the Marlborough gallery, where offerings included the collections of Bill McKeever of Urbana, Ohio; Pamela and Brian Ehrlich of Mystic, Connecticut; Tom and Carolyn Porter of Delaware, Ohio; Pam Boynton of Groton, ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Elverson Show Celebrates 50 Years
Elverson Antique Show & Sale, Elverson, Pennsylvania
Forty-one dealers set up in the Twin Valley High School in Elverson, Pennsylvania, on October 26 and 27, 2019, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Elverson Antique Show & Sale. From its beginnings in a firehouse in 1969, the Elverson show became known ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Five Clock Stars
Schmitt Horan & Co., Manchester, New Hampshire
Photos courtesy Schmitt Horan & Co.
There were 899 lots—comprising thousands of clocks, watches, tools, parts, music boxes, books, and other antiques—presented at the October 26 and 27, 2019, auction held by Schmitt Horan & Co. in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Continuing a recent strategy of a ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Pennsylvania Sale Excels in the Heartland
Horst Auction Center, Ephrata, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Horst Auction Center
Horst Auction Center held a 798-lot sale on October 25 and 26, 2019, at its facility in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, titled “Folk Art from an Old Time Ohio Collection.” The total gross was $298,435. Horst does not charge a buyer’s premium for in-house ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Fine Art at Shannon’s
Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers, Milford, Connecticut
Photos courtesy Shannon’s
Twice-yearly art auctions at Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers, Milford, Connecticut, bring out fine artworks that result in a full house for each sale. The October 24, 2019, sale was no exception.
The 271-lot event drew 500 bids on 20-some phones, on site, and online. ... (Read More)
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(Show)Enthusiasm and Energy at Rhinebeck
Antiques at Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, New York
The clocks may fall back, but Antiques at Rhinebeck eternally springs forward. Every year on Columbus Day weekend and Memorial Day weekend, this colorful antiques show near the Hudson River in Rhinebeck, New York, between Albany (the capital) and Manhattan (the Big Apple) calls regulars ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Boston Highboy and Lowboy Lead at Hilliard
Hilliard & Co. Auctioneers, Madison, Virginia
Photos courtesy Hilliard & Co. Auctioneers
Hilliard & Co. held a fall catalog sale at its Madison, Virginia, gallery on October 12, 2019. The sale consisted of 331 lots representing a wide variety of material from all categories.
Notable among the offerings were 80 lots consigned by ... (Read More)
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(Show)Fishersville Enjoys a Record Day
Shenandoah Antiques Expo, Fishersville, Virginia
The 65th edition of the Shenandoah Antiques Expo is now in the books. Known commonly by its place name, “Fishersville,” the event was held October 11 and 12, 2019, at the Augusta County Expoland complex in Fishersville, Virginia. This installment marked the first for a newly ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Gentleman’s Collection of Tony Annese Brings Nearly $1.8 Million
Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions
Sometimes everything falls into place, and it has nothing to do with chance or luck. Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey, has been bringing some of the world’s finest toy collections to the marketplace for decades. Collector Tony Annese has been acquiring some of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Doyle’s American Paintings, Furniture, and Decorative Arts Auction
Doyle, New York City
Photos courtesy Doyle
"Normally I don’t come to auctions because you can get the fever,” proclaimed a man to M.A.D. just before the start of Doyle’s fall American paintings, furniture, and decorative arts sale on October 8, 2019. “I usually prebid,” he explained.
And with that the well-attended auction ... (Read More)
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(Auction)African American Fine Art
Swann Galleries, New York City
Photos courtesy Swann Galleries
The two top-selling lots in Swann Galleries’ fall African American fine art auction on October 8, 2019, were bought by institutions. Elizabeth Catlett’s Seated Woman, a carved mahogany sculpture, initialed “EC,” from 1962, sold to the Saint Louis Art Museum for $389,000 (with ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Maritime Collections
John McInnis Auctioneers, Amesbury, Massachusetts
All prices include the buyer’s premium
John McInnis Auctioneers had gathered up several marine collections, and they were the nucleus of the October 5 and 6, 2019, auctions held under a tent in Amesbury, Massachusetts. The sale was moved from its customary location on Main Street in ... (Read More)
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(Show)The San Francisco Fall Show
San Francisco, California
The more things change...
The event now called the San Francisco Fall Show, formerly the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show and then the San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show, has changed names, dates, layout, rules that called for material to be over 50 years old, and focus.
The more ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Successful CRN Sale
CRN Auctions, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy CRN Auctions
Karin J. Phillips and Carl R. Nordblom of CRN Auctions, Cambridge, Massachusetts, routinely present buyers with fine buying opportunities. Buyers of every stripe know this and show up for their dependably eclectic thrice-yearly auctions.
The October 6, 2019, sale was no exception, and bidders demonstrated ... (Read More)
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(Show)Antiques in Vermont
Ludlow, Vermont
Antiques in Vermont was called the Vermont Pickers Market in 2018 because it set up fast, did not rely on fancy booth arrangements, and lasted only a few hours. Prices are reasonable. One has to move and decide quickly. And it is the last show of Vermont Antiques Week. ... (Read More)
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(Show)Antiques at Stratton Mountain: The Vermont Antiques Dealers’ Association Show
Stratton Mountain, Vermont
An “old” show sees young dealers, exhibitors, membership, and management.
As you look at the faces of the “next gen,” you see talent and knowledge, optimism and opportunity. Several of these faces have a long family history of “it runs in the family.” Brian Bittner of Shelburne, Vermont, mentioned ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Okemo Antique Show
Ludlow, Vermont
Ludlow, Vermont, in the central part of the state, becomes “well known” to antiquers every fall for two, and now three, antiques shows in town—two at its famous ski resort, Okemo, and one at a community center nearby.
The first show at the Okemo Mountain Lodge, the Okemo Antique Show, ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Black River Antiques Show
Ludlow, Vermont
Nostalgia. Do you remember this show run by a church group, featuring the best homemade buffet at any antiques show opening, in a setting where dealer/buyers sat outside at picnic tables waiting for the show to open, bringing their own wine and cheese and crackers, even on cold nights?
We ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Weston Antiques Show
Weston, Vermont
Yes, classic furniture (think highboys) and accessories sell at the Weston Antiques Show, a charming show with a history that repeats yet evolves. The tour buses fill the parking lots for the nearby Vermont Country Store in Weston, Vermont, which in turn fills the appetites for samples of fudge, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Fine and Decorative Art
Cowan’s Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Cowan’s Auctions
Chalk up another one. A sand bottle made by Andrew Clemens (1857-1894) sold for $100,000 (including buyer’s premium) against an estimate of $30,000/50,000 during the fine and decorative art sale held by Cowan’s Auctions on September 28, 2019, in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Last but Not Least: The Final Auction of the David and Janice Frent Collection
Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas
Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions
Six auctions and more than 5000 lots later, Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas, has earned the right to sigh a hearty “Whew!,” having dispersed the extensive and highly valued David and Janice Frent collection of presidential and political Americana. The auctions finished on September 21 ... (Read More)
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(Auction)$4.3 Million “B” Auction
Rago Arts & Auction Center, Lambertville, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Rago Arts & Auction Center
September 21 and 22, 2019, was the first weekend sale at Rago Arts & Auction Center in Lambertville, New Jersey, after Rago merged with Chicago auctioneer Richard Wright. There were some subtle changes, but this was a ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Porcelli Collection of American, Folk, and Outsider Art
Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Cleveland, Ohio
Photos courtesy Rachel Davis Fine Arts
Joyce and Dennis Porcelli were seeking out and collecting Outsider art before Outsider art was cool. Now that this interesting genre has become mainstream, it was the perfect time for the couple to offer up not only their collection of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Modern Native American Art
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
"We always had modern material sprinkled around our December and June auctions,” said Ingmars Lindbergs, Bonhams’ Native American art department director, of his first auction to focus on contemporary and 20th-century modern Native American art at Bonhams in Los Angeles.
“Now there is more material in ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Art+Design and African American Fine Art
Treadway Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Treadway Gallery
Treadway Gallery continued to show its influence in the market for African American art during its auction in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 15, 2019. While the Art+Design session featured an array of decorative arts typical of Treadway’s sales, a session of African American art ... (Read More)
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