BEVERLY, Mass. – Kaminski Auctions will present an outstanding collection of art, silver, porcelain and furniture descended through the family of Emily Hall Tremaine of Madison, Conn., and Santa Barbara, Calif., in their Thanksgiving sale on Nov. 28 and 29.
An American heiress, Emily Hall Tremaine grew up in the Jazz Age of the 1920s and embodied the lifestyle of glamour, wealth and privilege. In her early years she is remembered as a dazzling socialite living a daring and racy lifestyle. Married three times, her first marriage was to the handsome Baron Maximilian Hugo Converse Wilhelm von Romberg.
Emily Hall Tremaine was well read and versed on many subjects. For many years she published a society magazine titled Aperitif. Her passions later in life involved architecture and fine art.
It was with her third husband Burton G. Tremaine, whom she married in 1945 that she became one the foremost collectors of contemporary art in the country. She credits her husband with “the real adventurous tastes,” that led them to embrace the Pop Art movement and began their foray into collecting contemporary art. Her personal collection at the time of her death was said to rival that of the Museum of Modern Art.
In 1988, Christie’s sold 60 of their major contemporary works for $60.0 million dollars, an auction record at the time for a single owner collection. In 1991, 50 more works from the Burton G. and Emily Hall Tremaine collection of 20th century art were sold at Christie’s in New York City. Perhaps their most memorable work sold was an early painting by Jasper Johns titled Three Flags. In 1980, the Whitney Museum of American Art purchased it for a record $1million, thought at the time to be a record of the highest amount paid for the work of a living artist.
Kaminski Auctions brings to the podium an amazing array of pieces that has descended through the family. The collection features over 200 items of important art, exquisite furniture, as well as signed lithographs and original pieces from American painters Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, Joseph Albers, Robert Motherwell, Steve Etnier and Al Hansen, British artists Bridget Riley and Ian Tyson, and other well-known modern artists like Jean Arp, Victor Vasarely and Ernest Trova.
The Al Hansen (America, 1927-1995) is a Hershey Collage, circa 1960, created from Hersey bar wrappers and silver paint on masonite valued at $6,000-$9,000. There is a Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008) collage on board (below) from his “Card Birds II” series estimated at $2,000-$4,000. Another abstract collage by Robert Motherwell (American, 1915-1991), is valued at $700-$1,200. Signed lithographs by Frank Stella (American1936-) in orange and blue from his “V” Series and Ellsworth Kelly (American, 1923-) range from $1,000-$2,000 and $3,000-$5,000 respectively.
Irish and English hallmarked silver descended through the Tremaine family features prominently in the sale. Of particular interest is an important Irish silver covered soup tureen (below), with gadroon edge, open handles and engraved crest weighing approximately 90.8 troy ounces. This exquisite piece is by Richard Williams and hallmarked 1802 Dublin, Ireland. It is estimated at $5,000-$10,000.
A spectacular 10-piece French mirrored garniture set with brass inserts, .950 standard silver marked Paris, Gustave Keller with paneled sides, and a weight of 242.4 troy ounces is estimated to bring $4,000-$7,000.
A selection of Tremaine family 18th century American furniture rounds out this outstanding collection.
A noteworthy piece of estate jewelry in the auction is an exquisite and rare 15.02- carat natural blue Ceylon sapphire ring, surrounded by diamonds in a platinum setting with an AGL certificate and estimated at $75,000-$125,000.
Day one of the annual Thanksgiving Auction features a selection of fine art as well. Most notable is a painting titled Desert Travelers by American artist Fredrick Arthur Bridgman (1847-1928) oil on canvas with the gallery label verso, dated 1925 from the Mathaf Gallery, London estimated at $15,000-$20,000.
LiveAuctioneers.com will provide absentee and Internet live bidding.
For more information call Kaminski Auctions at 978-927-2223.
