February 2014 - Page 18 of 18 - Auction Central News

Feature: Carlo Scarpa’s architectural approach to glassmaking

This colorful low vase in the murrine romane technique is one of the highlights of ‘Venetian Glass by Carlo Scarpa: The Venini Company, 1932-1947’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through March 2. A similar vase was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1936. Private collection. Photo courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art.

NEW YORK – “Venetian Glass by Carlo Scarpa: The Venini Company, 1932-1947,” the current exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is accompanied by a comprehensive catalog filled with new research. The show and scholarship provide a treasure trove of valuable information for collectors of 20th century glass. As examples of Scarpa’s glass appear at auction this year, buyers will have a greater appreciation of the complex process involved in taking the designs from drawings to completed works.

Born in Venice, Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) falls into that long tradition of architects who ventured at times into designing furniture and decorative arts for interior settings; fellow countryman Gio Ponti (1891-1979) and American Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) are other good examples. While Scarpa continued to practice architecture – most surviving projects are in and around the city where he worked – it is his 13-year collaboration with Murano glassmaker Paolo Venini that is celebrated in the exhibition.

Sheena Wagstaff, the MMA head of Modern and Contemporary Art, said: “We have the great fortune of partnering with the prestigious museum Le Stanze del Vetro to take up a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to bring to New York glass works of extraordinarily high caliber, that have never before been seen in any American museum. Visitors will encounter beautiful, translucent, and ethereal glass vessels, created from Scarpa’s radical pushing and expanding of glass-blowing techniques to their absolute limit.”

Viewers visiting the show of nearly 300 works will be dazzled by the vivid colors and intrigued by the variety of forms and textures that sprang from Scarpa’s architectural approach to glassmaking. There is no substitute for the visual impact of all that beauty. In a review, the New York Times suggested, “If you are open to it, this exhibition can radically reshape your ideas about form, beauty, originality and art for art’s sake.”

The exhibition was adapted from an earlier one at Le Stanze del Vetro, a gallery in Venice devoted to the study of modern glassmaking, and continues in New York until March 2. As an added bonus, the Metropolitan has displayed nearby works from Europe and Asia that influenced Scarpa’s designs, such as ancient Roman mosaic glass and Chinese porcelain vases.

Collectors, however, will consider the massive and highly detailed catalog the gift that keeps on giving, because in its pages editor and exhibition curator Marino Barovier and his panel of scholars explain why and how each piece was created. Many individual catalog entries are accompanied by Scarpa’s original design drawings. The glass exhibits are grouped into over two dozen technical groups with descriptive Italian names such as Pennellate – brushstrokes. This profusion of decorative methods is further testimony to the architect’s prolific creativity. While some styles come up often at auctions and shows, pieces in less well-known categories are true eye-openers.

Most familiar to collectors will be the vases in the 1938 Rigati (striped) and 1940 Tessuti (woven) techniques, both of which employed multicolored glass rods. Corrosi 1936-1938 featured forms with a surface textured by emersion in acid. Some examples from this series are characterized by decorative relief attachments – sweeping ellipticals or button-like bugne or bosses. Less common is a 1940 group, Laccati neri e rossi, which imitates the black and red lacquer of Chinese objects.

The catalog presents revealing biographical information on Scarpa’s career including an opening essay by MMA Curator Nicholas Cullinan, who helped organize the exhibition. “The Wholeness of Inseparable Elements: Clarity and Form in the Work of Carlo Scarpa” orients the glass creations within the architect’s entire body of work. The curator points out how difficult life was for artists during the rise of Fascism in Italy: “The fact that Scarpa was able to advance his bold ideas in architecture and design without the sponsorship of Benito Mussolini’s regime is a remarkable accomplishment that should not be overlooked.”

After World War II, Scarpa focused on the task of reconstruction. Cullinan writes, “During the remarkable postwar period of renewal and restoration in Italy Scarpa’s extraordinary architectural career blossomed.”

Specializing in 20th century design, Wright Auctions is unique in offering annual sales dedicated to Italian Glass, and Scarpa’s works have been an important component. As one catalog entry noted, “ … perhaps more than any other glass designer of his time, Scarpa created pieces that were both shockingly modern and of enduring classical beauty.” As can be seen from the accompanying illustrations, the June 2013 auction included rare examples made during the architect’s years at Venini which realized exceptional prices, and the upcoming sale on May 20, 2014 will offer more lots designed by Scarpa.

In a recent interview, President Richard Wright said, “We’ve been most active in that market. Last year’s sale had some exceptional Scarpa pieces, and we’ll have our third stand-alone glass auction in May.” Prices in 2013 ranged from a simple mezza filagrana bowl at $2,750 to a highly desirable pennelate vase that brought an impressive $74,500.

Based in Chicago, Wright has added gallery space and consignment offices in the historic Parke-Bernet building on Madison Avenue in New York City. After visiting the Scarpa show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the auctioneer said, “The exhibition is a tour de force – it’s really impressive. There are so many exhibits that I really respond to, including some very rare mosaic pieces that are truly experimental. In the Met show, they show Roman mosaic glass from their collection nearby Scarpa’s versions, variations and inventions.”

Wright continued, “He also made Chinese- inspired vessels which are sublime. When they’re at their best, they have all the beauty of perfect Chinese porcelain – form and color and proportion, all in harmony. That speaks to his talent – the fact that he can work in such a range of styles and do so successfully. He had an ability to absorb all of these ancient techniques of glassmaking and make them relevant in the 20th century. He’s a big part of the reawakening of that craft movement. He trained as an architect and he had a wonderful sense of proportion and incredible sensitivity to materials.”

For more information about the past and future sales of Italian glass at Wright, go to www.wright20.com to view the online catalogs.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

From 1932 to 1947, Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) served as artistic director at the Venini Glassworks, where he developed innovative techniques that reinvigorated Venetian glassmaking. Scarpa (right) is shown with glassmaker Arturo Biasutto at the factory in an archival photo from 1943. Archivio Storico Luce. Photo courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Among his works with relief decoration, Scarpa designed a series featuring swirling elliptical patterns and an iridized surface. A beautiful deep blue rilievi vase, circa 1935, doubled its high estimate to sell for $81,700 in Wright’s Italian Glass auction in June 2012. Courtesy Wright Auctions.ç — Among his works with relief decoration, Scarpa designed a series featuring swirling elliptical patterns and an iridized surface. A beautiful deep blue rilievi vase, circa 1935, doubled its high estimate to sell for $81,700 in Wright’s Italian Glass auction in June 2012. Courtesy Wright Auctions.

While the world was at war in 1942, Scarpa and Venini produced a rare series of glass forms that look like they were decorated with brushstrokes or Pennellate of color. Collectors pay a premium for examples of this technique; this small vase sold for $74,500 in June 2013. Courtesy Wright Auctions.

Glass in the a fili technique, decorated with horizontal thread-like colored bands, was first exhibited in Venice in 1940. This narrow-necked vase, almost 9 inches high, brought $41,250 at auction in 2013. Courtesy Wright Auctions.

The Scarpa-Venini collaboration also produced glass designs for chandeliers and lamps. A pair of 1936 Diamonte table lamps, model 9034, realized $18,750 at auction in April 2013. Courtesy Wright Auctions.

This deep green vase with an iridized corroso surface is decorated with bugne or bosses in relief. The circa 1935 work, signed inside the lip ‘Venini Murano,’ sold for $30,000 last year in Chicago. Courtesy Wright Auctions.

Architect Carlo Scarpa collaborated with fellow architect/designer Marcel Breuer on the marble Delfi table, produced as part of Simon Gavina’s Ultrarazionale collection in 1968. An example sold for $23,750 in 2012. Courtesy Wright Auctions.

Leighton Galleries reschedules consignment days due to storm

ALLENDALE, N.J. – Leighton Galleries’ consignment day, which is held Monday afternoons, has been postponed today because of inclement weather and rescheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. Customers are welcome to stop by the Leighton Galleries showroom this week with items they are interested in selling at the company’s March 6 auction. Leighton Galleries is located at 6-C Pearl Court, Allendale, NJ 07401. For more information contact 201-327-8800 or info@Leightongalleries.com.

KC museum’s El Greco headed to Spain following restoration

Domenikos Theotokopoulos, called El Greco, (Spanish, 1541-1614) 'The Penitent Magdalene,' ca. 1580-1585, oil on canvas. Purchase: Nelson Trust, 30-35. Image courtesy of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City has begun restoration work on a Renaissance masterwork.

The museum says in a release that the Penitent Magdalene by Spanish painter El Greco was last restored in 1949. The current conservation work began last spring by Scott Heffley, a senior conservator at the Nelson-Atkins.

Heffley says the painting had damage from hundreds of years ago that had been painted over. The full process is expected to take months.

The restoration project is one of 25 worldwide selected for funding in 2013 through Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project. The grant for the Nelson-Atkins also allows the museum to send the artwork to Spain this year for the 400th anniversary of El Greco’s death.

AP-WF-01-31-14 1005GMT

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US penny that turned up in San Diego worth $250,000

Obverse of the 1974 aluminum cent. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

SAN DIEGO (AP) – A penny won’t buy much these days but a rare 1-cent piece could bring its owners as much as $250,000.

U-T San Diego says Randy Lawrence, who moved to La Jolla from Denver last August, inherited the silver-colored penny from his dad – an official with the Denver mint.

The coin gathered dust for 33 years and ended up in his car trunk when Lawrence moved.

But when Lawrence contacted a local coin dealer, Michael McConnell, he learned it was a 1974-D aluminum cent. Only 10 were minted in Denver and all were thought to be destroyed.

The penny’s now on display at a Long Beach coin expo. It will be auctioned this spring. Lawrence and McConnell plan to split the proceeds and donate up to $100,000 to charity.

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Information from: U-T San Diego, http://www.utsandiego.com

AP-WF-01-31-14 0428GMT

Scores of artifacts destroyed in Cairo museum bombing

The Museum of Islamic Art, which was heavily damaged by a terrorist's bomb Jan. 24. Image by Gerard Ducher. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

CAIRO (AP) – UNESCO pledged Friday to help restore a renowned museum dedicated to Islamic history in Cairo that was devastated by a bomb two weeks ago, with officials expressing “shock” at the scale of the damage.

The Museum of Islamic Art was across the street from the truck bomb that targeted the Egyptian capital’s security headquarters on Jan. 24. It killed four people and caused damage to buildings for hundreds of meters around, smashing the museum’s facade and sending debris crashing onto exhibits.

Egypt’s Antiquities Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said that 164 of the 1,471 items on display were damaged, of which 90 could be reassembled or restored. Most of the 74 irreparably damaged items were glass and porcelain, smashed to powder.

On a tour of the building on Friday, shattered glass littered the floor while fragments and steel slabs from the broken windows lay all over.

“It was an outstanding museum and to see it now, inside at least, totally destroyed is a big shock for us,” Christian Manhart, head of UNESCO’s museums sections, said at a news conference.

The U.N. cultural agency had already set aside emergency funds of $100,000 on the same day of the blast and said further technical and financial help would follow after detailed reports were filed. Ibrahim said the American government would provide 1 million Egyptian pounds (about $150,000) while a well-known actor, Mohammed Sobhy, said he was giving 50,000 pounds (around $7,200).

Ibrahim said Egypt’s National Library and Archives in the same building with the museum was also damaged. In addition, the blast smashed windows and caused other damage to historic mosques in the neighborhood.

The 133-old museum host pieces from periods ranging from the seventh-century pre-Islamic era to the end of the 19th century. The collection includes carpets, coins, ceramics, jewelry, manuscripts, marble carvings and woodwork.

The building had recently undergone a $14.4 million renovation before it was hit.

Friday’s visit to the museum was by a joint mission involving UNESCO and two protection and conservation groups, the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the International Committee of the Blue Shield. Manhart said the team will also prepare documents and figures to be presented to potential donors, which he was not authorized to name immediately.

Egypt has witnessed a surge in attacks on security forces after the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July. An al-Qaida-inspired group based in the Sinai Peninsula called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or Champions of Jerusalem, claimed responsibility for many of the attacks, including the Jan. 24 bomb.

“How are we supposed to secure all these museums and historical buildings to face bombings? There’s no country, no matter how far it reached in technology, that could stop damage from such terrorist attacks,” Ibrahim said.

Three years of unrest has devastated Egypt’s economy, including the vital tourism industry, and the security vacuum has taken a heavy toll on the country’s monuments.

In one of the worst incidents, looters made away with more than 1,000 artifacts from a museum in the southern city of Malawi as violent clashes roiled the country in August. Ibrahim said Friday that the restoration of the Malawi Museum will be done in six months.

Other museums have also been hit, including the famed Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square that holds Pharaonic antiquities including the treasures of King Tut. During the 2011 uprising would-be looters damaged mummies and other artifacts before being caught by army soldiers.

Some items stolen from museums or archaeological sites have been recovered.

The ministry said Friday that 935 stolen Pharaonic artifacts were found in a house in Cairo’s twin city of Giza. The pieces included masks, pots, and statues. Security forces said they also confiscated guns and ammunition.

AP-WF-01-31-14 2122GMT

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Kovels Antiques & Collecting: Week of Feb. 3, 2014

Cadette Borated Baby Talc was sold in this 7 3/8-inch-tall tin. The yellow and gray tin was used by Cadette Products Co. of Rutherford, N.J. It sold for $184 at a 2013 auction held by William Morford of Cazenovia, N.Y.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Hunting for treasures seems to be an inborn trait. Perhaps it’s from the need of the caveman to search, find food and store some for later use. For centuries, the very rich surrounded themselves with expensive art and artifacts to impress each other and “the peasants.”

Today, many people enjoy collecting a variety of things, like costume jewelry, bottles, tools, prints, pottery, 1950s furniture, advertising and sports and political items. Sometimes the best information about collections comes from the clubs and publications devoted to the subject.

One subcategory of advertising we recently noticed are talcum powder tins, since lawsuits related to talcum powder have been in the news recently. Talc is a mineral. It absorbs moisture, and in powdered form it has been used for centuries to keep skin dry. Some natural talc contains asbestos, which can be dangerous to health, so since the 1970s the talcum powder sold in stores has been processed to be asbestos-free.

Collectors like old talcum powder tins because of their clever designs made to attract buyers. Tins were decorated with images of babies, flowers, nursery-rhyme figures and clever graphics. Egyptian talcum powder made by Palmolive was in a tin that looks like an Egyptian column. Mennen’s early tins feature a seated baby that we are told was actually the brand owner’s child. A 1964 can of Beatles “Margo of Mayfair” talc has a drawing of the four Beatles. Look for tins by Watkins, Colgate, Johnson, Caswell-Massey and other major brands, and also brands from other countries or long-gone companies. Prices range from $10 to about $150 for most tins offered online, but the rarest and most beautiful may cost as much at $800.

Q: About 40 years ago, I bought an oak lawyer’s rotary desk at auction. It was in awful condition, having been used in the office of a grain elevator for many years. I refinished it and used it as my office desk for many years. One side section of the desk swivels and the other side has a large drawer for files. Pasted inside one of the small drawers is a form for ordering accessory items from the E.H. Stafford Desk Co. of Muskegon, Mich. Any history?

A: The E.H. Stafford Co. was founded in 1890 and was reincorporated as E.H. Stafford Manufacturing Co. in 1904. The company made school, church and office furniture as well as opera chairs. It was in business until at least the 1920s. Because it’s an interesting desk, it probably would sell for $500 to $700.

Q: I’m trying to find information about my old copper barrel. It’s stamped “Lippincott, 8 gal.” and “916 Filbert St.” It also has an eagle on it and the abbreviation “Phila.” Can you tell me who made the barrel and how old it might be?

A: Several members of the Lippincott family ran a business at this Filbert Street address from 1832 until about 1911. John and Charles Lippincott of Philadelphia made special copper machinery before expanding into the production of soda water, syrups and equipment for carbonating water. Charles took over the business from John, his older brother, in 1865. He made ornate soda fountains with multiple spigots for different flavors. Charles Lippincott & Co. joined with three other companies to form the American Soda Fountain Co., a trust designed to monopolize soda fountain manufacturing, in 1891. When Charles retired, his sons A.H. and F.H. Lippincott took over the business. They withdrew from the American Soda Fountain Co. in 1907 and moved to a different address in about 1911. By 1916 the company was no longer making soda fountains. Your copper bucket was made before 1911.

Q: I have about 100 different-colored airplane cards that were packaged in Wings cigarettes during World War II. They picture U.S. and Royal Air Force warplanes with identification and other information on the back. The cards are 2 by 2 1/2 inches. What are they worth?

A: Wings cigarettes were first made by Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. of Louisville, Ky., in 1929. The company sponsored a radio show called “Wings of Destiny” from 1940 to 1942, and the cards were issued as premiums in cigarette packs during those years. They are part of a series called “Modern American Airplanes.” There were three sets of cards with 50 cards in each set. The company originally intended to issue just one set, but later decided to issue two more. The sets are labeled A, B or C, although not all of the first set had a letter code. Cards from the first set are harder to find than those from later sets. The cards, in good condition, sell for about $1 to $2 each today.

Q: I have a leather card case marked “Wilro Shop.” Can you tell me something about the maker and possible age of the case?

A: The Wilro Shop was founded in 1902 by sisters Rose and Minnie Dolese of Chicago. They made leather and metal goods, dower and wardrobe chests, pottery and other items. Tooled purses, card cases, desk sets and illuminated leather book covers were decorated in the Arts and Crafts style popular at the time.

Tip: Don’t ignore vintage transistor radios (1955-1963) if you see them at house sales or flea markets. Collector interest in all kinds of radios is growing and the supply of old radios is shrinking.

Need prices for your antiques and collectibles? Find them at Kovels.com, our website for collectors. You can find more than 900,000 prices and more than 11,000 color photos that help you determine the value of your collectibles. Study the prices. It’s free at Kovels.com. Our website also lists publications, clubs, appraisers, auction houses, people who sell parts or repair antiques, antique shows and more. Kovels.com adds to the information in this column.

Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer questions sent to the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The amount of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Sterling-silver ladle, Mechanic Sterling Co., 8 3/4 inches, $180.
Federal stand, cherry, maple, drawer, scrolled legs, 28 x 19 inches, $180.
B.O. Plenty walker toy, holding baby and gift, tin lithograph, clockwork, 9 inches, $210.
Redware pitcher, applied hearts, scrolls, Pennsylvania, 1800s, 5 1/4 inches, $595.
Madame Alexander Wendy bride doll, plastic, walker, garter, veil, white gown, box, 18 inches, $225.
Sampler, alphabet, urn, flowers, butterflies, strawberry border, silk, linen, Caroline Malilda, age 8, 1835, frame, 19 x 13 1/2 inches, $300.
Dog doorstop, seated, leash, collar, locket, stoneware, brown mottled, Albany slip glaze, circa 1890, 9 1/2 inches, $430.
Bohemian pottery vase, amethyst, iridescent, wavy rim, bulbous base, Rindskopf, 7 x 14 inches, $440.
Magnifier, tabletop, figural, nude girl, kneeling, reflecting pool, bronze, 3 1/2 x 5 3/4 inches, $525.
Empire-style table, mahogany, gilt metal mounts, round, tri-part base, 18 3/4 x 33 inches, $1,000.

Keep up with changes in the collectibles world. Send for a free sample issue of our 12-page, color-illustrated newsletter, “Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles,” filled with prices, news, information and photos, plus major articles and opinions about the world of collecting. An important tool for anyone who buys or sells antiques and collectibles. To subscribe at a bargain $27 for 12 issues, write Kovels, P.O. Box 8534, Big Sandy, TX 75755; call 800-829-9158; or subscribe online at KovelsOnlineStore.com.

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Leading interior designers lend talents to Palm Beach show

Scott Snyder's vignette from last year's Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show. Palm Beach Show Group image.

PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Hope for Depression Research Foundation has brought together five outstanding interior designers to create the HOPE Designer Showcase as a central highlight of the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show, Feb. 14-18.

In the showcase, the designers have created five fascinating room settings that show how art and antiques can be integrated into today’s major decorating trends. These rooms show how the best of our past can be used to enhance and elevate the environments of the present.

The designer showcase will be featured at the HOPE Private Preview, benefiting HDRF, at 6 p.m. on opening night, Friday, Feb. 14. It will be on display through the entire run of the show ending Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Scott Snyder, renowned interior designer and HDRF Palm Beach chair, has coordinated the showcase, which will feature his central room setting as well as the work of acclaimed designers Bruce Bierman, Campion Platt, Jennifer Post, Jim Aman and John Meeks.

All of the showcase designers are members of HDRF’s Arts Committee, a group of 40 leading talents from the visual and performing arts, who lend their time and talent to help bring awareness to depression as a major worldwide health issue. HDRF formed its Arts Committee in 2006 – the same year as the organization’s founding – to recognize that the incidence of depression is up to four times higher in the creative community than in the general population.

The five designers have selected items from more than 180 dealers at the show and have incorporated them into rooms that reflect their unique, individual aesthetic – from traditional to minimalist contemporary.

“The goal of the showcase is to inspire the audience with new ideas about how to use art and antiques to enhance their environment and their lives,” said Snyder.

The annual Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antique Show will once be presented at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, Feb. 14-18. This five-day art event will feature more than 180 international galleries and offer a curated blend of fine art, jewels and antiquities. It is produced by the Palm Beach Show Group.

For more information, visit www.palmbeachshow.com.

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Committee intends to destroy fake Marc Chagall painting

An authentic portrait of Chagall by Yehuda 'Yuri' Pen, his first art teacher in Vitebsk, Belarus. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

LONDON (AFP) – An art-loving British businessman said Monday he faced the “bizarre” prospect of seeing a treasured painting that he thought was by Marc Chagall destroyed because it has been judged to be a fake.

Martin Lang spent £100,000 (121,000 euros, $163,000) on what he believed was an original work by Russian-born artist Chagall in 1992.

For a BBC TV program on art forgeries, the painting was tested by experts and sent to the Chagall Committee in Paris for verification.

But Lang, a 63-year-old property developer, was shocked when the committee deemed it to be a fake and told the BBC that under French law it must be destroyed.

The committee has kept the painting – a nude said to date from 1909-1910 – in Paris and will meet on Tuesday to discuss its fate, a spokesman told AFP.

Lang blasted the committee’s decision as “draconian.”

“I was confused because I couldn’t see the logic of destroying something which is possible evidence if forgers were ever caught in the future,” he told BBC radio.

“And also, it is basically my property. I just couldn’t understand why a committee would be so draconian.

“I believe they intend to destroy it in front of a magistrate.

“It is bizarre. … It is almost vindictive. I do sympathize with the committee – insofar as you want to do away with forgers and dissuade forgers, but it’s not dissuading the forgers, it seems to me you are dissuading honest decent people from coming forward to have their art verified.”

Lang said he had written to the committee to propose that they mark the word “forgery” on the back of the painting and return it to him, but is still waiting for a reply.

He said he feared the cost of legal action to force the committee to return the painting would be prohibitive.

“I don’t think there is a lot we can do at the moment, we can appeal to their generosity,” Lang said.

Chagall, who died in France almost three decades ago, is considered a pioneer of modernism. His work can sell for millions.

The Chagall Committee is run by the artist’s grandchildren to protect his reputation in the art world.

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