SYDNEY (AFP) – Influential Australian art critic, historian and writer Robert Hughes has died in New York after a long illness, his family said Tuesday. He was 74.
Hughes, whom the New York Times once proclaimed the world’s most famous art critic, died at the Calvary Hospital in the Bronx on Monday.
“He had been very ill for some time,” said a statement from his wife, Doris Downes, who was with him when he died, without giving further details.
His niece Lucy Turnbull, married to high-profile Australian politician Malcolm Turnbull, said her uncle was a “real man’s man—he was a hunter, shooter and a fisher.”
“(He had) a lifelong sense of curiosity and always wanting to know more about the world,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, adding that he worked with fervor on anything he put his mind to.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Hughes would be “very, very sorely missed.”
“Robert Hughes was one of our finest voices,” she said.
Born in Sydney in 1938, Hughes studied arts and architecture at Sydney University.
He left Australia for Britain in the early 1960s, writing for publications such as The Times and The Observer before landing a position as art critic for Time magazine in 1970, where he made his name.
Outspoken and sometimes abrasive, he went on to write The Art of Australia, a comprehensive review of Australian painting from settlement to the 1960s, which is still considered an important work.
Hughes further established himself with his 1980 BBC The Shock of the New television series and book, which has been widely hailed as one of the most provocative accounts of the development of modern art ever written.
In 1987 he published international best-seller The Fatal Shore, which examined the harsh life of convicts during the early European settlement of Australia, a work Time called “a staggering achievement.”
“I think that the work that he had to undertake to do the research to write The Fatal Shore was extraordinary and he applied that sort of knowledge and expertise and passion to whatever task he put himself to,” Turnbull said.
While in his homeland in 1999, Hughes had a head-on car crash that nearly claimed his life and Turnbull said he never fully recovered.
“It was a life-changing event … and climbing out of that experience was a very, very hard one, and one that was possibly never fully achieved,” she said.
He also had to deal with his only son, Danton, committing suicide aged 34.
Despite living overseas for more than 50 years, Hughes never relinquished his citizenship and became a prominent supporter of Australia’s republican movement.
John McDonald, art critic at the Sydney Morning Herald, said Turnbull helped put his homeland on the map.
“People knew Australia often through Robert Hughes … but his way of life, his turn of phrase, his interests were things which transcended Australia,” he wrote in the newspaper.
“We’ll look at Bob Hughes. We’ll look at the stuff that he’s written. We’ll always go back and say he was a truly great writer and somebody who, in the ranks of art critics, I think of all time, will rank very, very high.”
The ultimate combination of the chiffonier, the wardrobe and the secretary is achieved in this chifforobe/secretary which has a drop-front desk installed on the right side.
While we tend to think of furniture at the least as just inanimate objects or as functional art at best, we have to admit that as forms evolve they do have a tendency to create related families. One unique creation inspires the creation of another similar and related but still somehow different form. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Especially if you have children. In this edition of Furniture Specific I will take a look at some of the related family members of different groups, looking at similarities and differences.
CHEST OF DRAWERS
The chest of drawers began merely as a box with a lid, a chest if you will, sitting on the floor, a convenient place to stash most of a family’s belongings and small enough to be moved quickly when the need arose. That was an admirable attribute in the unsettled Middle Ages. As times settled down so did the populace and mobility was not quite as necessary as before. Convenience came to play a role in household furnishings and one box that held everything was not exactly the height of modern convenience, especially when you had to unload the entire chest to find the item on the bottom. In the 17th century a new invention called the drawer added a new dimension to the chest providing a specialized compartment for storage of important or frequently used items.
Drawer technology rapidly improved and the addition of drawers to the family chest abounded, as additions to either the top or bottom of a chest. Eventually the top of the chest disappeared and what was left was a standing chest of drawers.
One style chest popular in the time of Louis XVI was the semainier, a tall chest with seven drawers, one for a person’s linen and clothing for each day of the week. Such tall slender chests were also called a chiffonier and that opened up an entire new family of chests.
One of the more useful offspring of the chiffonier was developed late in the 19th century. It was a large standing chest with a tall slender storage space on one side fitted with hardware for hanging clothes and concealed by a full-length door, often mirrored. On the other side of the cabinet was a vertical stack of drawers, perhaps with a mirror above. This uniquely American concoction combined the attributes of the chest of drawers, the chiffonier, with the convenience of the freestanding closet, the wardrobe. The combined piece was called a combination of the two words that came out as chifforobe.
During the Depression era of the late 1920s and 1930s, another relative of the chest evolved. It was designed as part of a bedroom suite for use specifically by men. This cabinet had long drawers below with smaller drawers above, crowned by a section with doors. The doors opened to reveal a series of open sliding drawers for storage of folded shirts and stiff collars. This arrangement with the doors on top was called a chifforette.
SECRETARY
Another family line of furniture that has come a long way is that of the secretary, a form that began as simply a place to transcribe the written word. In ancient Egypt and China it was simply a box that contained simple writing tools and a medium that could easily could be stored and moved as the source of the spoken word moved. In the Middle Ages the boxes were called scriptorium and the slanted tops were hinged for quick access to materials. Then the box was eventually placed on a table and you know what happened next. Like Topsy in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it “just growed.”
A drawer was added here and another there and before long what had been a box on a table became a desk on a frame that supported a network of drawers. By then portability was no longer an issue and like the chest of drawers, convenience became primary and what could be more convenient than having reference books at our fingertips? With a shelf added above the desk for books the new from was called the secretary, a word derived from the Latin scriptorium and scrutoire.
Eventually the word secretary came to be used to describe any closed desk with or without bookshelves and with or without drawers below the main desk. An early example was the 16th century Spanish vargueno, a portable chest-type desk on a stand, usually with no drawers and no bookshelves. In the early 18th century the secretary settled pretty much into the familiar form of the slant-front desk, either as a complete cabinet or as a desk on frame. But about the same time a new version was being developed that had a complete cabinet-type bookcase with doors on top of the basic secretary. This form was the bookcase/secretary that is still in vogue today in so many styles from so many periods.
But the idea of a closed desk was so attractive that it was bound to morph into other forms and one 19th century form cleverly combined the chest of drawers with the closed desk. It appeared to be simply a chest but the top drawer was in fact a drop-front desk hidden behind the drawer facade that folded down. Then the desk unit pulled out halfway to provide writing room. This version of the secretary became popularly known as the butler desk, since the height of the desk surface when extracted from the cabinet did not require the butler to sit to use the desk unit.
This variation was very much in keeping with the popular idea that a secretary drawer could be installed almost anywhere. That led to the clever concealment of secretary units in almost anything that had a top drawer including the often massive breakfront, producing the breakfront/secretary.
Before the turn of the 20th century another member joined the bookcase secretary. This new upstart had the nerve to place the bookcase on the ground attached to the desk unit rather than above it. Revolutionary! Now the user of the desk didn’t even have to arise from his seat to get a reference book. It was right there at eye level or below.
And finally, to complete the circle came the unit that combined the chiffonier, the wardrobe and the secretary, the chifferobe/secretary, a unit often found in Depression era bedroom furnishings that had a drop-front desk, similar to a secretaire abattant, installed in the drawer section.
Send your comments, questions and pictures to Fred Taylor at P.O. Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423 or email them to him at info@furnituredetective.com.
Visit Fred’s website at www.furnituredetective.com. His book How To Be a Furniture Detective is available for $18.95 plus $3 shipping. Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, P.O. Box 215, Crystal Fiver, FL, 34423.
Fred and Gail Taylor’s DVD, Identification of Older & Antique Furniture ($17 + $3 S&H) is also available at the same address. For more information call 800-387-6377, fax 352-563-2916, or info@furnituredetective.com. All items are also available directly from his website.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
The ultimate combination of the chiffonier, the wardrobe and the secretary is achieved in this chifforobe/secretary which has a drop-front desk installed on the right side.A descendant of the simple chest, this slender chest of drawers was called a chiffonier in France.The combination of a chiffonier with an armoire or wardrobe resulted in a new form called the chifforobe.A final step in the evolution of the chiffonier was the chifforette with the placement of the doors on top of a chest that opened to reveal sliding trays similar those of a linen press.After a long and tedious journey, the original scribe’s box became the slant-front secretary.By adding storage for books above the desk, the bookcase/secretary was created.A later variation of the bookcase/secretary was the placement of the bookcase alongside the desk resulting in the side-by-side bookcase/secretary.The idea of a secretarial space with a fitted interior was so appealing it wound up in lots of places like the top drawer of a breakfront.In this case the secretarial space was placed in the top drawer of chest creating the butler’s desk.
‘The Adirondacks from Ferrisburg, Vt.,’ by J.B. Bristol, overall size 41 3/4 x 61 3/4 inches in the original frame. Estimate: $50,000-$75,000. Blanchard’s Auction Service image. POTSDAM, N.Y. – Blanchard’s Auction Service will present their annual Adirondack Auction on Friday, Aug. 10, starting at 11 a.m. EDT at Mount Pisgah Lodge in Saranac Lake, N.Y. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
This year’s auction will feature a great selection of fine oil paintings by several well-known listed artists; over a dozen high-quality duck decoys; fine Tiffany Studios lighting; Gustav Stickley and L. & J.G. Stickley furniture; numerous great camp furnishings; Navaho and Oriental rugs; Old Hickory furniture; variety of antique wooden boats and boating accessories; antique firearms; many great pack baskets, creels and snowshoes; wide range of taxidermy and antler furniture; sporting prints; Barney Bellinger furniture; art pottery; wicker; fishing and hunting collectibles; Indian items; Arts & Crafts accessories and furnishings; country and early American furniture; Black Forest carvings; Handel reverse-painted lamps; advertising items; Adirondack and sporting books; a mechanical bank collection; antique wooden powerboats and numerous one of a kind pieces.
The Adirondacks from Ferrisburg, Vt., an oil painting by J.B. Bristol (American, 1826-1909) epitomizes the spirit of Blanchard’s Adirondack Auction. The large work (23 1/2 by 43 1/2 inches) is estimated at $50,000-$75,000.
Estate jewelry includes an early 1900s 18-karat yellow gold and diamond pendant from Tiffany & Co. that is expected to sell for $10,000-$20,000.
An example of the antique firearms is a Civil War-era .50-caliber rifle by Poultney and Trimble, which is estimated at $1,500-$3,000. The rifle is all correct including markings on both the metal and stock and the action is tight.
For more information contact Blanchard’s Auction Service at 315-265-5070.
‘The Adirondacks from Ferrisburg, Vt.,’ by J.B. Bristol, overall size 41 3/4 x 61 3/4 inches in the original frame. Estimate: $50,000-$75,000. Blanchard’s Auction Service image.
Cartier, Paris, Art Deco-style clock, serial no. 00326, 4 inches wide x 3 1/2 inches tall. Estimate: $400-$800. Blanchard’s Auction Service image.
Tiffany & Co. 18-karat gold and diamond sunburst pendant/pin, early 20th century. Estimate $10,000-$20,000. Blanchard’s Auction Service image.
Signed Tiffany Studios Acorn table lamp, 16-inch shade with a signed bronze stick base and bronze heat cap. Estimate: $10,000-$20,000. Blanchard’s Auction Service image.
Poultney and Trimble Civil War-era .50-caliber rifle, all correct markings. Estimate:1,500-$3,000. Blanchard’s Auction Service image.
This 13-inch-high bronze bell sold for $823 at a Garth’s auction in Delaware, Ohio. Its presale estimate was $1,500 to $3,000. The name ‘Vanduzen and Tift’ and the date ‘1864’ are cast into the bell.
BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Often when restoring a historic church or school, a large bronze bell is needed for the bell tower. The bells are difficult to find because many have been sold as scrap and melted, and others are too heavy to be moved for a reasonable price. But a vintage bell often is less expensive than a new one.
A bronze bell that sold a few years ago had the name “Vanduzen and Tift” molded into the metal. It identifies a Cincinnati maker, a partnership founded in 1837. The partners made top-quality bells during the 19th century. The bell that sold also was molded with a date, which was worn but appeared to be 1864. A four-digit number on a cast-bronze bell indicates the year of the casting. The mold for a cast bell can be used only once. The mold is broken to get the bell out after it cools.
If a small bell is marked with a date, it probably is a design patent, because the mold can be reused. Vintage bells of all sizes often need to be cleaned or restored. A cast-bronze bell should not be painted. Once it’s cleaned, it should be left to develop its natural patina.
Q: I have a Windsor chair that my parents bought in the early 1930s. It is 44 inches high and has a fan back with nine straight spindles and two brace spindles. The chair is black with gilt striping. On the bottom there is a metal medallion that reads “The Simonds Furniture Co., Syracuse.” Can you tell me more about my chair?
A: Elgin A. Simonds was a business partner of Gustav Stickley in the late 1890s in Syracuse. In 1898 Stickley bought out Simonds, who then bought the Hayden & Couch Chair Manufacturing Co. of Rochester, N.Y., and formed the Brown & Simonds Co. That company was renamed the Elgin A. Simonds Co. in 1901 and became part of a consortium of furniture manufacturers. The Simonds company made faithful reproductions of traditional furniture. Windsor chairs made by Simonds sell for $100 to $350.
Q: The white sailboats on my cobalt-blue tumblers are discolored. Is there any way I can clean them without losing the sailboats? I also have some tumblers with white windmills that have the same problem.
A: Your tumblers are part of the Sportsman Series, made by the Hazel Atlas Glass Co. in the 1940s. Designs featured sailboats, golf, hunting, angelfish and windmills. The pattern was made in amethyst, cobalt blue and clear glass, with fired-on decorations. The sailboats and windmills are being removed by the very hot water and detergents used in a dishwasher. Wash the tumblers by hand.
Q: I have an old Cuff ‘n’ Collar Maker with original patterns and attachments. It was made by Wheeler & Wilson of Bridgeport, Conn., and lists patent dates in 1850, 1851, 1852 and 1865. It is not a regular sewing machine. No one I talk to knows what it is.
A: Wheeler, Wilson & Co. was founded by Allen B. Wilson and Nathaniel Wheeler in Watertown, Mass., in about 1851. Wilson was a cabinetmaker who patented his first sewing machine in 1850. The company became Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Co. in 1853 and moved to Bridgeport in 1856. At one point, it was the largest manufacturer of sewing machines in the world. The detachable collar was invented in 1827, and detachable cuffs in about 1845. Wheeler & Wilson designed a sewing machine to make collars and cuffs as well as shirts, and claimed that an operator could make “80 to 100 dozen collars” in a day by using its machines instead of sewing the collars by hand. The company also made several other special sewing machines, including machines for buttonholes, corsets and boots. Wheeler & Wilson was taken over by Singer Corp. in 1905, but sewing machines under the Wheeler & Wilson name continued to be made until 1913.
Q: I have an autographed photo of Satchel Paige in a baseball uniform. What is its value?
A: Leroy Robert “Satchel” Paige (1906-1982) was a professional pitcher who played for many different teams during his long career. A black player, he had to pitch in the Negro leagues before the major leagues were integrated. In 1948 Paige debuted in the majors with the Cleveland Indians at the age of 42, making him both the oldest player ever to debut in MLB and the seventh to integrate it. Paige pitched for the Indians, St. Louis Browns and Kansas City Athletics before ending his career in 1966. In 1971 Paige became the first player to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Negro leagues player. An autographed photo of Paige in his Browns uniform recently sold for $253 at auction.
Q: I have an old hand-cranked candy-making machine. It has several attachments to make lozenges and other hard candies. The label on it reads “Thos. Mills & Bro. Inc., Confectioners & Bakers Tolls, Philadelphia.” What is it worth?
A: Thos. Mills & Bro. was founded in Philadelphia in about 1864 by Thomas and George Mills. The company made equipment for confectioners, bakers and ice-cream makers. It was best-known for its clear toy candy molds and other confectionary equipment. A Thos. Mills & Bro. candy press identical to yours with extra attachments recently sold for $529 at auction.
Tip: Do not put an alabaster figure or vase outside. Alabaster is softer than marble and will eventually fall apart if exposed to rain.
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Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through 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 any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume 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.
Michigan Steamboat cards, blue-and-white box, picture of steamboat, all are seven of spades except one three of hearts, 1920s, $45.
1952 political souvenir mug, “Republican-Democratic Campaign, Palmer House, Chicago,” donkey handle, plastic, 3 x 5 1/4 inches, $75.
Buffalo Billy elf bank, painted cardboard body, wooden arms, legs and head, head bobs on spring, Buffalo Savings Bank, 1958 copyright, 5 x 7 1/2 inches, $75.
World War I bonds poster, “2nd Liberty Loan of 1917,” patriotic image of two children holding flag, 20 x 29 3/4 inches, $100.
Cast-iron teakettle, domed and pointed lid with brass finial, gooseneck spout with split mouth, riveted ball handle, stationary bail handle, early 1800s, 7 1/2 x 9 inches, $225.
Captain Action doll, blue outfit and hat, decal on chest, original gun and sword, box, Ideal, 1966, 12 inches, $225.
Chenille bedspread, flower basket in center, bright pinks with red, green, yellow and purple on white, cotton, 1950s, 95 x 106 inches, $365.
Chevrolet sign, easel back, vinyl front, yellow 1949 Chevrolet Styleline De Luxe Convertible, Glassy Finish Process Co., New York, 14 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches, $450.
Ice-cream-parlor stools, red leather seats, floor-mounted cast-iron black bases, 1930s, 19 1/2 inches, set of five, $500.
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This 13-inch-high bronze bell sold for $823 at a Garth’s auction in Delaware, Ohio. Its presale estimate was $1,500 to $3,000. The name ‘Vanduzen and Tift’ and the date ‘1864’ are cast into the bell.
Carved wood Easter Island-style tiki head. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers image. CHICAGO – On Aug. 22-23, 2012, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will sell items from Trader Vic’s Chicago location. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide the Internet live bidding for the sale.
The Polynesian-themed restaurant known for combining tropical drinks and elaborate South Pacific décor was a Chicago staple at the Palmer House Hilton from 1957 to 2005, later reopening in 2008-2011 at the Newberry Plaza.
Highlights of the sale are a variety of carved wood tiki totems including an Easter Island-style tiki head that stood at the entrance of Trader Vic’s at the Palmer House Hilton ($1,000-$2,000), a tortoise shell ($300-$500) and three Pacific giant clamshells ($800-$1,200).
The auction will take place at 10 a.m. CDT on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 22-23. For more information phone 312-280-1212.
William Bailey, American, born 1930, ‘Piano Scuro,’ 2003, oil on linen, 38 1/8 x 51 inches, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Charina Endowment Fund. Image courtesy Betty Cuningham Gallery.
WASHINGTON – The National Gallery of Art has acquired an impressive number of new acquisitions, augmenting the collections of paintings, sculpture, works on paper and photographs. These new works included a collection of 169 photographs by Robert Adams hand-selected by the artist, the gallery’s first watercolor by Thomas Moran, its first paintings by Giorgio Vasari and Hendrik Willem Mesdag, a newly attributed portrait drawing by Michael Sweerts and a major sculpture by Barry Le Va.
“There are a good number of ‘firsts’ in this exciting round of acquisitions, ranging from Giorgio Vasari’s larger-than-life paintings of Saint Luke and Saint Mark and Thomas Moran’s extraordinary watercolor Mountain of the Holy Cross, to Barry Le Va’s postminimalist sculpture,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. “We are also pleased to add an important group of gelatin silver prints of America’s changing landscape by Robert Adams, which joins the gallery’s major holdings of works by fellow luminaries of American photography such as Alfred Stieglitz, Robert Frank and Harry Callahan.”
The National Gallery of Art’s collection stands at nearly 127,000 works.
The department of photographs acquired 169 gelatin silver prints by Robert Adams (b. 1937), who has recorded America’s changing landscape for more than 40 years, revealing both its sublime beauty and its wanton destruction. This group of photographs was carefully selected by the artist himself to complement the 25 works by him that the gallery already holds and to represent his most important accomplishments.
The extraordinary watercolor Mountain of the Holy Cross (1890) by Thomas Moran (1837-1926) is the most important work by the artist to come to light in many years. It was unknown at the time of the gallery’s 1997 Moran retrospective and has never been exhibited publicly or published. Commissioned in 1890 by philanthropist Caroline Phelps Stokes, the painting remained with her descendants for more than 100 years.
Other works on paper acquired include one of the greatest pastels of Venice by James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), White and Pink (The Palace) (1879/1880). The residence has been identified as the Palazzo da Mosta; the drawing is signed with the artist’s butterfly device and retains its original Whistler frame.
The Gallery has also acquired a portrait in black chalk of Jan van den Enden (circa 1651), one of the most powerful portrait drawings made in mid-baroque Rome. Based on the stylistic evidence, gallery experts have formally attributed this work to Flemish artist Michael Sweerts (1618–1664), and it thus becomes the first drawing reasonably attributed to that important Flemish baroque painter.
For information call (202) 737-4215 or visit the Gallery’s Web site at www.nga.gov.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
William Bailey, American, born 1930, ‘Piano Scuro,’ 2003, oil on linen, 38 1/8 x 51 inches, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Charina Endowment Fund. Image courtesy Betty Cuningham Gallery.Robert Adams, American, born 1937, Kerstin enjoying the wind, East of Keota, Colorado,’ 1969, gelatin silver print, 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund and Gift of Robert and Kerstin Adams.Thomas Moran, American, 1837–1890, ‘Mountain of the Holy Cross,’ 1890, watercolor over graphite, 17 3/4 x 12 1/4 inches, National Gallery of Art, Washington, gift of the Avalon Foundation, Florian Carr, Jack Kay, Barbara B. Moore, and Max and Heidi Barry Funds.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Officials at the University of Kansas say thousands of books have been damaged by a water leak at the Spencer Museum of Art.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports a break in a water line sent water into the building’s lower floors, which house the Murphy Art and Architecture Library. University spokesman Joe Monaco says there was no damage to the museum’s artwork, which is displayed on the upper floors.
Officials estimate 15,000 to 20,000 of the museum’s 170,000 volumes were damaged. Students and staff worked Wednesday night and Thursday morning to box the books and load them onto trailers. They’ll be taken to a Chicago facility for evaluation and repairs.
The library remains closed through indefinitely, while the museum will be closed at least through Monday.
Information from: Lawrence Journal-World, http://www.ljworld.com
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Nineteenth century child’s gown. Image courtesy LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Kaminski Auctions.
MUMFORD, N.Y. (AP) – The Genesee Country Village & Museum outside Rochester has completed a $2.7 million renovation that will allow it to display a huge collection of 19th century clothing and accessories.
The museum acquired the Greene Costume Collection in 2010 and put it on display for the first time Sunday, following renovation of its John Wehle Gallery.
Karen Augusta, a historic textiles expert for PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, has called the collection one of the finest of its kind.
It includes men’s and women’s pieces. Experts say men’s clothing from the era is especially hard to find because it was typically cut down and used for quilts or rugs when no longer worn.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-08-04-12 1420GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Nineteenth century child’s gown. Image courtesy LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Kaminski Auctions.
This six-piece group sold recently at Leighton Galleries. Image courtesy LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Leighton Galleries.
ALLENDALE, N.J. – Leighton Galleries invites the public to bring the “finest jewels and baubles” to the auction company’s consignment days, Monday, Aug. 6, and the following Monday, Aug. 13. Consignments are being accepted for the first session of their Sept. 6 auction, which will feature Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com.
Leighton Galleries is also seeking high-end couture handbags, clothing and accessories for that auction.
Consignment day is an event held every Monday when customers are welcome to stop by Leighton Galleries’ showroom with items they are interested in selling at an upcoming auction.
They are encouraged to bring items to Leighton Galleries, 6-C Pearl Court, Allendale, NJ 07401. For details email info@Leightongalleries.com or phone 201-327-8800.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
This six-piece group sold recently at Leighton Galleries. Image courtesy LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Leighton Galleries.
‘Smith Cove’ by NSAA artist Charles Movalli. Image courtesy NSAA 2012 Live Art Auction. EAST GLOUCESTER, Mass. – Celebrating its 90-year heritage of prominent landscape and harbor painters, North Shore Arts Association continues the tradition of great painting by artist members from across the region, inspired by the beauty of Cape Ann. Original artwork from this region’s finest artists will be available to all bidders at the NSAA 2012 Live Art Auction on Saturday, Aug. 11. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
Featuring juried selections from many NSAA artist members whose work can be found in private collections, the auction benefits the nonprofit cultural organization that has been connecting art and the community for 90 years. The event will take place at NSAA’s historic waterfront gallery in East Gloucester from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (auction begins at 7 p.m). Tickets are $30 each and are available at www.nsarts.org or by calling 978-283-1857. Those interested in online bidding can view the artwork and register for the Auction at www.liveauctioneers.com/browse/sellerNSAA. Registration by 5 p.m. on Aug. 11 is advised.
Appraiser of antiques and fine arts Stuart Slavid from Skinner Inc. will serve as host and auctioneer that evening. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with an artwork preview party.
Selected through a juried process to ensure quality, nearly 100 distinctive works of art representing a wide range of artists, genres and mediums will be available for auction. Among the featured artists are David Curtis, Ray Crane, Ronalee Crocker, Paul George, Robert Gruppe, Ken Knowles, Judy Metcalfe, Charles Movalli, Tom Nicholas, Nathalie Nordstrand, Dale Ratcliff, Arlene Richardson, Betty Lou Schlemm, Peter Tysver and Jeff Weaver as well as other fine painters. Auction artwork will be on exhibit for previewing in the NSAA Gallery Aug. 5-11 during regular hours.
“Each year, NSAA strives to make the auction a memorable experience for our patrons, sponsors and artists while raising essential funds to support our work and mission,” said Art Auction Chair Monica Lawton. “This summer we’ll combine the best of the new with the tried-and-true, featuring innovative live online bidding and the expertise of Skinner Auctioneers, as well as the return of a single, combined event where guests and artists can mingle and enjoy a festive preview party before the bidding begins.”
