| Press Contact: | Colleene Fesko, Director | Robin Starr/Anne Poling |
| American & European Paintings | American & European Paintings | |
| Skinner, Inc | Skinner, Inc | |
|
978-779-6241 ext. 2601 |
978-779-6241 ext. 259/258 |
SKINNER TO OFFER AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN PAINTINGS MAY 14TH IN BOSTON
BOSTON, Mass. - April 29, 2004 – www.skinnerinc.com - Skinner, Inc. one of the nation's leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, will host an auction of American and European paintings on Friday, May 14th, at the Boston gallery. The sale offers a variety of landscapes, genre, and still lifes from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries, but the strength of the auction is in its Impressionistic landscapes and genre. Among the highlights of this group is Poppy Fields by Edward Wilbur Dean Hamilton (lot 375, $45/65,000). Known for his landscape and garden views, Hamilton spent most of his artistic life in and around the Boston area, although he spent several years studying and traveling in France. Poppy Fields, painted in 1889, unifies the strongest elements of his style: his exposure to the Paris of the Impressionists, and his life-long affiliation, as both student and teacher, with the Boston circle of painters. It is a work not to be missed.
Other works representing late nineteenth and early twentieth-century American landscape and genre demonstrating strong European influence include Blackbirds and Falling Snow by William Samuel Horton (lot 303, $35/45,000) with its loose brushstroke and vivid palette, indicative of this artist's close association with French Impressionists, including Monet, Degas, and Pissarro. George Hitchcock's Pandora (lot 343, $30/50,000) shows Impressionist influence in its style, light, and subject matter. A third offering, Childe Hassam's The Water Carrier, Auvers-sur-Oise (lot 299, $15/20,000), also highlights this group. Hassam's early artistic training centered around classes at the Boston Art Club and in private study with Boston masters including William Rimmer, Ignaz M. Gaugengigl, and William Morris Hunt. It was the latter who taught Hassam to appreciate the aesthetic of the Barbizon school, an influence visible in this work, while Gaugengigl sparked Hassam's interest in realism. This lot is typical of many of Hassam's works from the mid-1880s, exhibiting a soft palette of gentle browns and grays, and creating an atmospheric haze in the manner of the Barbizon painters. The brushwork in the painting, however, is lighter than is typical of that period, foreshadowing his shift to an Impressionistic style. This watercolor will be included in Stuart P. Feld and Kathleen Burnside's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work.
Floral Paintings
Also noteworthy in the auction is the selection of floral pieces, led by Still Life with Poppies and Chrysanthemums (lot 321, $50/75,000) by Abbott Fuller Graves. Graves developed an early interest in flowers after working in a greenhouse, and by 1884, he was studying floral painting in Paris, a city he would return to many times during his career. A Pink Rose by the artist also will be offered (lot 332, $4/6,000).
Works by Laura Coombs Hills highlight the selection as well. After spending many years painting landscapes, portrait miniatures, and even illustrations, by 1920, Hills had turned her artistic focus to creating pastel floral still lifes. Fall Flowers (lot 382, $15/20,000), Purple and White Petunias (lot 386, $6/8,000), Pansies and Red (lot 384, $5/7,000), Peonies and Velvet (lot 347, $4/6,000), and Marigolds and Zinnias (lot 387, $3/5,000) will all draw significant attention. "It's a wonderful group," notes department director Colleene Fesko.
Nineteenth-Century European Genre
European genre in the sale features a variety of subjects and artists, including the intriguing Night Market by Petrus Van Schendel (lot 41, $20/25,000). Appealing scenes of youthful subjects include Antoine Emile Plassan's Knitting Fireside (lot 34, $5/7,000), Wilhelm Velten's At Play (lot 319, $4/6,000), Hermann David Salomon Corrodi's Under the Red Umbrella (lot 42, $4/6,000), Johann Antonius Canta's By the Duck Pond (lot 44, $2/3,000), and Jean Paul Haag's Young Boy with His Toy Cannon (lot 45, $2,5/5,500). With Her Chickens by Daniel Hernandez (lot 33, $2/3,000), Tea Time by E. Giachi (lot 54, $6/8,000), Field of Flowers by J.R. Goblet (lot 53, $3/5,000), and Still Life with Mountain Laurel ŕ Plein Air by Oliver Clare (lot 36, $1/1,500) also will be offered. Portraits include John Trotter's Portrait of Robert Mack, Architect (lot 48, $3/5,000).
Nineteenth-Century American Landscape and Genre
Highlights in American genre include A Break from Battle by Gilbert (William) Gaul (lot 113, $15/25,000), a thought-provoking and timeless depiction of a soldier momentarily removed from the scene of battle. Gaul had attended the Claverack Military Academy, but due to poor health was unable to pursue a military career. He then focused his attentions on the study of art, becoming a member of the National Academy of Design in 1882. In 1887, he was commissioned by Century magazine to illustrate Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Following this commission, he was heralded as one of the most important battle scene painters, due to his acute attention to historically accurate uniforms and weapons.
Other offerings of 19th century American landscape and genre include Haying/Possibly a Marin County View by Thaddeus Welch (lot 82, $10/15,000), Skating in New York by Samuel S. Carr (lot 106, $7/9,000), Expansive River Landscape with Cows Watering by William Richardson Tyler (lot 93, $4,5/5,500), A Morning in June by Robert Bruce Crane (lot 86, $2/4,000), and Desert Mountains, Sunset by Charles Partridge Adams (lot 85, $1/1,500).
Twentieth-Century European Landscapes, Seascapes, and Genre
Twentieth-century European artwork in the sale provides equally diverse selections. Reuven Rubin's Road to Galilee (lot 311, $10/15,000) offers a haunting vision, evocative of themes often addressed by the artist in his works. Rubin was born in Romania and studied in Paris, but he is recognized as one of the most important Israeli artists of his time. His style fuses his exposure with Eastern culture with the Israeli tradition, including an exploration of Biblical themes.
The broad selection of European paintings from the last century also includes Mane-Katz's The Concert (lot 354, $10/20,000), Abraham Walkowitz's My Paris Studio (lot 358, $10/20,000), David Burliuk's The Circus (lot 355, $12/18,000), and Montague Dawson's At Full Sail (lot 134, $7/9,000).
Twentieth-Century American Landscape and Genre
The auction offers an extensive selection of twentieth-century American landscapes and genre, in addition to the paintings mentioned above. These include Maurice Braun's Evening Light/A California Landscape (lot 209, $10/15,000), Frederick Judd Waugh's Lingering Day (lot 229, $10/15,000), Luigi Lucioni's Nostalgic Echoes (lot 362), and Edward Henry Potthast's Baby's Day at the Beach (lot 336, $7/9,000), a painting that will be included in Mary Ran's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work. Additional highlights include Winter Landscape with Distant Farm by Aldro Thompson Hibbard (lot 220, $6/8,000), Sundown Trail by John William Hilton (lot 205, $6/8,000), and Guarding the Baby by Grace Carpenter Hudson (lot 213, $3/5,000), as well as works by Joseph Randolph and Antonio Cirino.
Previews and Catalogue Information
Previews for the auction will be 12 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12th; 12 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 13th; and 12 to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 14th. Illustrated catalogue #2236 is available by mail for $32 ($39 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 978-779-6241 x240. It is also available at the gallery for $29. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. For more information, call 978-779-6241, or visit www.skinnerinc.com. Skinner's site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, and order catalogues online.
Note to Editors: Photos available upon request. Contact Catherine Riedel at 978-779-6241 x 231.
About Skinner:With galleries in Boston and Bolton, Mass., Skinner is a full-service auctioneer and appraiser of antiques and fine art. Regularly seen on the PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, Skinner is one of the nation’s leading auction houses. Skinner conducts auctions year-round and has received world-record prices for many pieces sold at auction. Departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographica, and Discovery. For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.