Brill collection of outsider art enters the spotlight at Heritage March 13

Clementine Hunter, 'Mustard Jar with Flowers', estimated at $3,000-$5,000 at Heritage.

DALLAS — Billed as the “Brill Collection,” Heritage has announced Outsider Art, a small, 70-lot event scheduled for Wednesday, March 13. The catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Best remembered for her amazing output (estimated at 10,000) of paintings in her life, Clementine Hunter (1886-1988) was one of the first recognized members of the outsider art movement. Only starting to paint in her fifties, Hunter began selling her works for 25 cents, but by the time of her passing, she was nationally recognized. This repurposed Pommery Mustard clay jar has been painted and decorated with floral touches by Hunter, and comes with provenance directly from the artist. It is estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

Baptist minister and artist Howard Finster (1916-2001) has 12 items in the sale. Like many, he labored in obscurity for decades, toiling at his Paradise Garden museum that eventually housed 46,000 works. He gained fame when he created album cover artwork for REM and the Talking Heads. This group of five cutout figures dates to 1990-1999 and are together estimated at $2,000-$3,000.

Miami’s own Purvis Young (1943-2010) created works that were part painting and part collage. His works reside in the collections of many celebrities and have been widely exhibited. The sale features 12 pieces by Young, including Cityscape (Giant), a mixed-media on joined panel measuring 25.5 by 35.5in. It carries an estimate of $2,000-$3,000.

Lee Godie (1908-1994) lived an inexplicable life, sleeping in freezing Chicago temperatures or in transient hotels, despite having money and better options available. Her figural works are classically naive, with large eyes being a defining element. Woman with a Headband is an undated mixed-media on board signed ‘By Godie’. It is estimated at $1,000-$1,500.

Clementine Hunter, 'Mustard Jar with Flowers', estimated at $3,000-$5,000 at Heritage.

Clementine Hunter, 'Mustard Jar with Flowers', estimated at $3,000-$5,000 at Heritage.

Howard Finster group of five cutout figures, estimated at $2,000-$3,000 at Heritage.

Howard Finster group of five cutout figures, estimated at $2,000-$3,000 at Heritage.

Purvis Young, 'Cityscape (Giant),' estimated at $2,000-$3,000 at Heritage.

Purvis Young, 'Cityscape (Giant),' estimated at $2,000-$3,000 at Heritage.

Lee Godie, 'Woman with a Headband,' estimated at $1,000-$1,500 at Heritage.

Lee Godie, 'Woman with a Headband,' estimated at $1,000-$1,500 at Heritage.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Bid Smart: Self-taught artist Joseph Yoakum, king of the mountain

Joseph Yoakum’s view of ‘Mt. Alpha of Brooks Range Near Wiseman, Alaska U.S.A.,’ made $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2022. Image courtesy of Slotin Folk Art and LiveAuctioneers.
Joseph Yoakum’s view of ‘Mt. Alpha of Brooks Range Near Wiseman, Alaska U.S.A.,’ made $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2022. Image courtesy of Slotin Folk Art and LiveAuctioneers.
Joseph Yoakum’s view of ‘Mt. Alpha of Brooks Range Near Wiseman, Alaska U.S.A.’ made $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2022. Image courtesy of Slotin Folk Art and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Many of the most renowned self-taught artists didn’t begin painting until late in life. Grandma Moses was 77, Clementine Hunter was in her 50s and Bill Traylor in his 80s. Most had to wait until their golden years, when they were no longer working to feed their families and had time to pursue a passion for art. For some, the decision came in a dream. Such was the case with Joseph E. Yoakum (1891–1972). Growing up poor on Chicago’s South Side with little schooling, he was drafted into the Army during World War I and served overseas before returning to Chicago. The troubled Yoakum led a mostly itinerant life, leaving home to work in circuses as a handyman, and, for a short time, he was institutionalized in a Chicago mental hospital.

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Susann Craig’s self-taught and outsider art collection exceeds $550K at Hindman

Roger Brown, ‘Crossing the Bandiagara Escarpment With Baobab Trees and Dogon Dancers,’ $138,600. Image courtesy of Hindman
Roger Brown, ‘Crossing the Bandiagara Escarpment With Baobab Trees and Dogon Dancers,’ $138,600. Image courtesy of Hindman
Roger Brown, ‘Crossing the Bandiagara Escarpment With Baobab Trees and Dogon Dancers,’ $138,600. Image courtesy of Hindman

CHICAGO – Works by Roger Brown, Sister Gertrude Morgan and William Dawson led Hindman’s single-owner auction of esteemed collector Susann Craig’s estate on March 9. A beloved figure in Chicago’s art world and a founder of Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago, Craig left a strong legacy through her diverse collection and her passion for amplifying overlooked voices. The majority of works exceeded their estimates, with Chicago artists in particular seeing high demand across the 325-lot sale.

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Howard Finster: a preacher whose other calling was folk art

Howard Finster was renowned for his wood cutouts, such as this 1989 example titled ‘The Angel Of The Lord,’ which earned $26,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2021. Image courtesy of Slotin Folk Art and LiveAuctioneers.
Howard Finster was renowned for his wood cutouts, such as this 1989 example titled ‘The Angel Of The Lord,’ which earned $26,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2021. Image courtesy of Slotin Folk Art and LiveAuctioneers.
Howard Finster was renowned for his wood cutouts, such as this 1989 example titled ‘The Angel Of The Lord,’ which earned $26,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2021. Image courtesy of Slotin Folk Art and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Howard Finster (1916-2001) is known to most as an important self-taught artist, but he likely would have said his most important job, out of the many different trades he pursued, was as a Baptist preacher in the South. His twin callings of art and faith became forever intermingled.

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Slotin plans exuberant lineup of self-taught art Nov. 13-14

Nellie Mae Rowe, ‘Dog on Roof With Blue and Green Birds,’ est. $15,000-$20,000
Nellie Mae Rowe, ‘Dog on Roof With Blue and Green Birds,’ est. $15,000-$20,000
Nellie Mae Rowe, ‘Dog on Roof With Blue and Green Birds,’ est. $15,000-$20,000

BUFORD, Ga. – A changing of the guard among folk art collectors is responsible for making an array of early, museum-worthy works available for the first time at auction. That’s readily apparent in the catalog for Slotin Folk Art Auction’s Fall Self-Taught Art Masterpiece Sale, to be held November 13-14. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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