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Prendergast art

James Prendergast Library selling art holdings to pay bills

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson

 

Prendergast art
Photo of James Prendergast Library in Jamestown, N.Y., taken by Smtayl, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (AP) – A western New York library has put more of its valuable art collection up for auction, a move that has drawn opposition from some of the organization’s supporters.

The New York Times reports the James Prendergast Library in Jamestown entered nine paintings in Sotheby’s European art sale held yesterday, November 21. The paintings include 19th-century works that the auction house estimated could sell for a total of up to $1.2 million.

Library officials say the local landmark named for the grandson of Jamestown’s founder needs to sell most of its art collection in order to pay the bills.

Prendergast art
Painting of James Prendergast (d. 1891) that hangs inside the James Prendergast Library in Jamestown, N.Y. Photo by Smtayl, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

Six other paintings from the library’s collection were sold by Sotheby’s last month, bringing in more than $300,000.

Critics of the sales say the artwork is an irreplaceable part of Jamestown’s heritage.

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Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com

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