AD 20/21 in Boston, Part II: From Graffiti Art to the One Shot Stool

AD 20/21 | Fine Art in Boston | Skinner team

Heather and Kathryn from the Marketing Department with Kathy, Robin, and Elizabeth from the American & European Works of Art Department at Skinner, Inc.

As an art appraiser and appreciator, I’ve always enjoyed AD 20/21: Art & Design of the 20th & 21st Centuries. This year, the show has moved beyond just modern design and prints to feature more contemporary art than I’ve seen in the past. The show is open from March 15– 18, 2012 at the Boston Center for the Arts

Last night, I stopped in with my colleagues, Kathy Wong and Elizabeth Haff, for a visit. We saw too many wonderful and beautiful things to describe in one blog post, but a few of our favorites were found in the booths for Artists for Humanity and Room 68.

At Artists for Humanity, a dress made out of Vitamin Water labels pulled me in for a closer look. The clever design and unusual material reminded me of the reality show Project Runway. In fact, the dress was made for Fashion Week in Boston.

Artists for Humanity is a group that provides underprivileged high school kids with art employment opportunities. These young people work on design projects, logo development, and fine art projects, and many go on to graduate from art school and continue working in the arts.

On the back wall of their booth, I was intrigued by two works that almost looked cubist, with a graffiti-like feel. It turns out that a couple of the kids in the program were indeed graffiti artists, so their mentors encouraged them to take that style, and create a piece that looks like graffiti without words.

Room 68 showed off concepts in contemporary design, including everything from the One Shot Stool by Patrick Jouin to cleverly designed vases, ceramics, and textiles. The moving parts of the stool were all cut from a single piece of material, and like an umbrella, it folds up into an easy shape for carrying.

Although the objects on display at the show many be on the pricier side for some, Kathy Wong looked online after the show and discovered that their prices for design accessories start at a very affordable $15.

We all appreciated the integration between fine art, design, and prints, and with such a range of styles and prices, there’s sure to be something for everyone. Have you been to the show? Let us know in the comments or on the American & European Works of Art Facebook page which booth was your favorite.

Jane Prentiss, Director of 20th Century Design at Skinner, Inc. enjoyed the show as well. Here are her impressions.

Blooms for Books

Support the Boston Public Library and get a glimpse of spring in the middle of winter at the upcoming Skinner Prints and Paintings Auction

This lovely arrangement interprets an 18th/19th century portrait of a gentlewoman as Diana, Goddess of the Hunt (Lot 310 in the February 3, 2012 Paintings auction)

Several months ago, Skinner art appraiser Kathy Wong agreed to arrange all of the flowers for a friend’s wedding. I know you’re wondering what this has to do with antiques and auctions, but just stay with me for a minute. The friend happens to be a Skinner colleague, so this past fall we have all enjoyed watching the process as Kathy brought in ideas to show to the bride-to-be: designs for table arrangements, bouquets, boutonnières, and more.

It turns out that, in addition to being a great art historian, Kathy has a fantastic eye for color and design.

Now, Kathy is putting her design talents to work for the sake of art and a terrific cause. In conjunction with the February 3rd Prints and Paintings auction in Boston, Kathy will interpret several of the lots presented as flower arrangements. Have you ever seen the Museum of Fine Art’s Art in Bloom or the Worcester Art Museum’s Flora in Winter? Our presentation will be similar, but we are adding a slight twist. The arrangements will be sold during the Paintings & Prints auction to raise money for the Boston Public Library’s Fine Arts Library in the historic McKim building in Copley Square.

Attend our Fine Art Gallery walk on February 2nd to view the art-inspired bouquets.

The BPL’s Fine Arts Library is a tremendous resource open to all, and as art appraisers, we use the library constantly in our research. The librarians are extremely knowledgeable, and work under difficult conditions – anyone who has gone in there to do research on a hot July day knows exactly what I’m talking about! Given the number of books I request in the course of a single visit, I can’t imagine that they are ever thrilled to see me, and yet they are always welcoming and considerate. It is one of our favorite places to work, and yet it is a place desperate for an upgrade. We realize that the amount we raise for them will only be a drop in the bucket, but it is our very small way of saying thank you.

Plus, won’t it be nice to come to the Paintings & Prints auction preview and see all the fresh, colorful flower arrangements? There’s nothing like a little bit of spring in the middle of winter!

The preview will be open to the public on Wednesday, February 1st, 12 to 5 pm; Thursday, February 2nd, 12 to 8 pm; and Friday, February 3, 9 to 10:30 am at Skinner’s Boston auction gallery. The auction begins at noon on Friday, February 3rd. We hope to see you there!

Bringing Forgotten History to Light: Cataloguing a Walter Launt Palmer Painting

Walter Launt Palmer Painting | Fine Art Appraiser

Lot 468: Walter Launt Palmer (American, 1854-1932) The Pine Grove, c. 1917, Estimate $8,000-12,000 in the February 3, 2012 Auction of American & European Works of Art

One of the distinct joys of being a fine art appraiser and cataloguer is getting to physically handle a work and bring its forgotten history to light. When we are lucky, the owner provides documentation for provenance or context. More often than not, what we work with are anecdotes that we must verify or rule out independently. At the heart of cataloguing is looking at a work objectively and asking the fundamental question “What does that mean?” of any inscriptions or marks.

Recently, I had the pleasure of puzzling over a winter scene by Walter Launt Palmer. Palmer was acclaimed in his lifetime for his winter scenes and it’s easy to see why—he essentially did for snow what Monet did for haystacks, which is to say that he represented snow with a depth of color and texture that no other American artist had previously. As far as art historical categories go, Palmer is considered a Tonalist more than an Impressionist, owing in large part to his muted palette and stylistic restraint.

In cataloguing, examination of the reverse of a work is de rigueur. What we hope to find are titles, dedications, labels and other bits of information to tell us about its former life. In the case of our Palmer, we found a promising lead—an effaced title and stamp (see Figure 1). After a process of trial and error, we explored the possibility that the 1917 volume of the American Art Annual—a venerable publication in print from 1898 to 1948—might have further information for us. To my surprise, under the heading “Paintings Sold at Auction: Season of 1916-1917” was an entry for a Walter Launt Palmer work entitled “The Pine Grove,” 30 x 22 inches, sold as lot 154 in a sale entitled “War Relief” to Otto Bernet. The consignor believed that her father had purchased the work at auction in New York, and ours measured exactly 30 x 22 inches. Could this be our work? More information was needed. What was this “War Relief” sale, and more importantly, was a catalogue produced?

Figure 1

Further research turned up the following:

• The “War Relief” sale was held May 3 to 4, 1917, and comprised of works donated by the American Artists’ Committee of One Hundred, of which Palmer was a member (1)

• Most members of this artist Committee had trained or exhibited in France, and this American relief alliance formed in 1916 out of gratitude and concern for their French mentors and counterparts (2)

• The sale was handled by the American Art Association (our AAA acronym!), an auctioneer established in 1883 (3)

Figure 2

Sometimes tracking down primary source material is as tricky as finding out that it exists in the first place. There were less than three copies of the sale catalogue in public collections nationally, and the only book form was located in the Brooklyn Museum library. With the help of a library assistant, we found that the catalogue description matched our work (see fig. 2).

There is still more to know about this work, such as whether or not the previous owner, Collier Whittemore Baird (1888-1977), an executive in the rubber industry, acquired it directly from Otto Bernet or through an intermediary. The American Art Association Records, microfilmed through the Smithsonian Archives of American Art (SAAM), may yield further clues.

Larger contextual questions also remain, such as what was Palmer’s involvement with the war relief committee and how many other sales did he participate in? The American Artists’ Committee of One Hundred Records, also through the SAAM, may be revealing.

As cataloguers, we are the temporary custodians of these works, and consider ourselves lucky when we’ve found enough to pique the interest of the next owner—ideally, a devoted researcher.

This work will find a new home at the February 3, 2012 American & European Works of Art auction in Boston.

(1) “Americans Aid French Artists Art at Home and Abroad.” New York Times, August 15, 1915, pg. SM21.

(2) Ibid.

(3) http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/american-art-association-records-6973

Steel, Stones, and Smoke: Art Appraisers Tour Art Basel Miami Beach

During the day, Brian Tolle's "Tempest," 2010 is a spiraling path, but at night it takes on the aspect of a tumultuous sea filled with phosphorescence.

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Florida for one of the year’s most spectacular art shows: Art Basel Miami Beach. I spent the first part of the trip with fellow art appraiser Kathy Wong, and then my husband and 7-year-old son joined me as traveling companions.

In addition to spotting famous and emerging artists (Julian Schnabel, Orlan, the controversial Mr. Brainwash, and Marina Abramovic, to name a few), we snapped photos of many pieces of art that struck us as beautiful, original, shocking, or thought-provoking. You can view the full gallery on the American & European Works of Art Facebook page.

I’m happy to report that despite “The Great Recession,” sales seemed brisk. By 11:35 am on Wednesday (the VIP opening started at 11:00), Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York, had already sold a huge diptych by Kara Walker entitled Pastoral. A departure from her silhouette images, this piece was a monumental drawing of a mother hiding in an alleyway during a riot.

Interestingly, many galleries opted out of the tradition of placing red dots on labels to mark pieces as sold. The reason? A potential collector seeing a red dot might not make an inquiry, and each inquiry is an opportunity to attract new clients.

This year, the show introduced an initiative to get the general public involved as well. “Art Public” brought in art lovers who might feel that they fall outside of the usual Art Basel audience. This show transformed Collins Park (right next to Bass Art Museum and the Mr. Brainwash show) with 24 pieces of public art. Each morning the show was open, you could see groups of students touring with their teachers.

Some of Our Favorite Pieces from Art Public in Collins Park

Anish Kapoor plays with voids and vessel-like forms in Black Stones, Human Bones from 1993.

Theaster Gates: "Stand-Ins for a Period of Wreckage," 2011 features a series of waist-high columns, each with its own unique feature. Some are crumbling; others have a high, polished top; still others seem to crack to reveal stacks of dinnerware inside.

Chakaia Booker: "Holla," 2008 uses cut up pieces of tires layered over a steel frame to create a serpentine figure that is deeply textural. The construction and craftsmanship are beautiful. Visible behind are works by Damien Hirst, George Rickey, and Robert Indiana.

It’s simply not possible to fit everything I loved at Art Basel Miami Beach into one blog post, so I asked my son for his take on the trip. His favorite? A work by Mexican artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, titled Shadow Box #5: The Years Midnight. A surveillance camera mounted on the right side of the screen picks up viewers standing in front of the work. As you look at the piece, you see yourself, but with a smoky mist rising from your eyes. As you move, the mist goes with you. The interactivity was a blast for all ages (Watch a video of my husband interacting with the piece on Facebook).

All three of us are glad to be back home, and already looking forward to next year.

An Art Museum Fantasy Road Trip, Part I: A Journey through Spain

Now that winter has arrived in New England, can you blame me for dreaming of the warm, turquoise waters of the Spanish Costa Brava? I completely fell in love with Barcelona this summer, for its blending high and low art, architecture, and culture. Antoni Gaudi left his visionary mark on the city in the late 19th century, and Barcelona has continued to think big with its monumental sculpture, murals, and street art.

As much as I would love to revisit Barcelona, I dream of exploring other parts of the country. If I could go anywhere in Spain right now, these would be my top five art destinations.

5. The Museo Chillida-Leku in San Sebastian: to see Eduardo Chillida’s “Peine del Viento XV” [Wind Comb XV], 1976

San Sebastian is home to the most Michelin-starred restaurants per capita in the world, and that’s a good enough reason to go. But while there, I’d love to see Chillida’s monumental steel sculpture, Wind Comb XV. Situated on a coastline, this work is best understood as land art than sculpture, in the same vein as Nancy Holt’s “Sun Tunnels,” (1976) and Walter de Maria’s “Lightning Field” (1977). It was Chillida’s favorite site-specific work, and is a rumination on man’s relationship with nature, full and empty spaces, and the passage of time.

4. The Salvador Dali Portlligat Museum-House in Port Lligat: to see how Dali lived with the ordinary and extraordinary

Throngs of tourists visit the wildly surreal Teatro-Museo Dali in Figueres but fewer make the trek one hour north to the remote fishing village where Dali lived from the 1930s to 1982. As an appraiser who meets with clients in their homes to view their collections, naturally, I am interested in seeing how this eccentric yet visionary artist lived with his art and what inspired him.

3. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao: to see Jeff Koons’ “Puppy” (1992)

Koons’ “Puppy” has been a part of the Guggenheim Bilbao’s permanent collection since its opening in 1997, and to my mind, defines it as much as the Frank Gehry-designed building. The sheer physical feat of engineering and constructing such a work is what I’m drawn to – this approximately 40 1/2 x 40 1/2 x 21 foot living sculpture consists of anywhere from 35,000 to 70,000 potted flowering plants watered by an internal irrigation system, which is replaced twice a year. Flowers are a part of life’s greatest joys and sorrows, and I can’t think of a more whimsical expression of joy than a giant, fluffy, floral terrier!

2. The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía: to see Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” (1937)

I first learned of the protest art shown at the Spanish Pavilion of the Paris Exposition of 1937 in a class taught by art historian T.J. Clark. Alongside Alexander Calder’s “Mercury Fountain” and Joan Miro’s “The Reaper [Catalan peasant in revolt],” I can only imagine how Picasso’s mural stood out both in terms of its sheer size (approximately 11 x 26 feet) and stark palette. I suspect it is one of those works where visual analysis from a photograph only goes so far. It must be experienced in person to fully grasp its plea for humanity and compassion in the face of the horrors of war.

1. The Alhambra in Granada: to see the Royal Complex

Although I haven’t extensively studied Islamic art, I must admit that I am fascinated by the Alhambra. I would love to see how its intricately-designed stucco and tile works on such a large scale, and why it captured the imagination of so many artists, particularly Henri Matisse. His tour of Southern Spain was the subject of an exhibit at the Alhambra earlier this year. Considering that it was only within the last decade that Henri Matisse’s signature was discovered in the Alhambra’s visitor’s book (solidly dating his first visit to December 11, 1910), it retains an air of mystery and the promise of further discoveries.

I’m certain that there are other worthy (even quirky) contenders, but these are my current obsessions. Have you been to any of these places? What were your favorite works? Where do you dream of visiting? Let us know!

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Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Costa Brava Calas, by Gabriele Delhey (photo taken by Gabriele Delhey) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0]; Puppy de Jeff Koons [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0]; Alhambra – Granada, by Jim Gordon (originally posted to Flickr as Alhambra, Granada) [CC-BY-2.0]

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