|
|
What We Do - Please read
In
writing this, I try to think of just what it is that attracts
me, so that I can say it out loud to you. What it takes
for me to want to acquire an object for sale and not walk
away from it. When you visit, you will find that I only
buy objects I'd like for myself - that I'd want to live
with. In other words, I buy as if I were the collector.
Color, glorious color, is a primary determinant. I love
color and am not afraid of it. The world in grisaille
holds little interest for me. And line. Especially a beautiful
sinuous line that moves in lyrical ways, whether it defines
a cabriole leg or the stance of a figure in a sculpture
or the separation between fields of color in a painting.
In Folk Art paintings - portraits, landscapes and still
lifes - my preference is for highly abstracted, two-dimensional
shapes; although 18th century provincial portraits are
often more earnest in their attempt at round forms.
|
And
let me mention surface quality. In every form. Preferably untouched
surfaces with lovely, old patina, the crackling and crazing
and build-up of paint layers and wear that give us clues to
the experience of the object over time. These surfaces provide
an impressionistic beauty of their own and it's rare to discover
objects that have not been scraped down and refinished to within
an inch of their lives.
Sometimes
you come across objects made long ago that are almost modern
in their streamlined shape or in the way they are decorated
- possibly with broad, bold strokes of color and line, or a
startling simplicity and economy of design - elements that seem
almost to anticipate contemporary art. These objects seem far
ahead of their time and yet, of course, are a product of everything
that has come before but with an added, individual twist that
delights the eye and the heart and challenges our conception
of what is modern, what is art. To all this, I would add one
more reflection. And that is that beauty and integrity and artfulness
can be found in simple things, sometimes common things that
do not cost a fortune, objects that were made for simple utilitarian
purposes but were ornamented for the pleasure of their appearance
or ease of handling in the home. The best of these objects may
also have a quality that I would qualify as "quirky,"
an eccentric, endearing aspect that you wouldn't have been able
to anticipate and is not simply the result of "bad drawing."
Folk Art objects can be elegant but, in my opinion, the best
of them are joyful and happy and delightful to live with. Their
humor and whimsy and economical rendering provide a palpable
antidote to the heaviness and ballast and unrelenting seriousness
of the world around us. There is joy in them. For those who
can see.
Today,
there is a tremendous competition in the marketplace for fine
objects and a commensurate increase in prices, sometimes quite
astonishing. Now, more than ever, beginners and old hands alike
need guidance to make decisions. Analyzing the strong points
of objects, determining in which ways they could be better,
helping prospective buyers acquire pieces being sold at auctions
where there is often so much hype, is another service I offer.
Over
the years, I have discovered worthy objects that have stood
the test of time, helped create markets in portraiture and weathervanes
and painted furniture and guided clients - even those who didn't
initially call themselves collectors - in bringing objects into
their homes. I have had the pleasure of working with collectors
who were passionate and others who had to be helped to step
up to the plate, be persuaded. I have argued passionately for
beauty always. I have also argued just as determinedly against
objects that didn't measure up. I have always been willing to
work with individuals as quirky as my objects. But I tell it
like it is.
We
have been selling beautiful objects to collectors, dealers,
and museums, bidding at auctions on behalf of our clients and
helping those who wish to dispose of things for 38 years. We
have appraised collections and estates since 1978. Let us know
how we may help you.
