The fall show this year at A.J. Kollar Fine Paintings is highly anticipated, as it will showcase many mint condition, 19th-century American works laden with rich history. The exhibition, titled Nineteenth Century America, includes landscape, still lifes and genre paintings by artists such as David Johnson, John William Casilear, William Hart, Frederic E. Church, William Holbrook Beard, Albert Bierstadt and Grafton Tyler Brown.Grafton Tyler Brown (1841-1918), Mitchell’s Point Looking Down the Columbia, 1887. Oil on canvas, 18 x 30 in., signed and dated lower left: ‘GTBrown 87’.

The majority of the show paintings are in their original, unlined condition. “Some of the work hasn’t been on the market since they were printed from the original dealer,” furthers gallery owner, Allan Kollar. “The quality of these paintings is what seasoned collectors and dealers are looking for. The exhibition of 12 paintings is a visual historical reference to 19th-century America.”

Pieces such as Who’s Afraid?, by Beard, have stories that span generations. The work, depicting several rabbits in a fright over seeing a fox in the bushes, has been passed down through the same family until 2019. It was also exhibited in the National Academy of Design in 1884 and the Chicago Interstate Industrial Exposition in 1886. “We often don’t find paintings in this condition,” says Kollar. “It’s signed, dated and is in its original frame.”William Holbrook Beard (1826-1900), Who’s Afraid?, 1884. Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 in., signed and dated lower left: ‘W H Beard 1884’.

Another work, Stories of the Sea, a figurative painting by Henry Peters Gray, also has a one-family provenance. It was eventually passed down to Elisha Peyre Ferry, the first governor of Washington state, and friend of Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln. It was also exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York at their 38th annual exhibition in 1863.

An awareness of the times surrounds the landscape painting Mitchell’s Point Looking Down the Columbia, by Brown. Having moved from Pennsylvania to San Francisco, Brown was one of the first professional African American artists to create work depicting the Pacific Northwest and California. “This piece is significant as it was created in a time when there were few Black artists whose work was preserved,” Kollar furthers.Henry Peters Gray (1819-1877), Stories of the Sea, ca. 1863. Oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in., signed in pencil on stretcher.

This exhibition is important, not only for its historical significance, but also for the beauty each piece contributes to our appreciation of 19th-century American art. Viewings are by appointment only at A.J. Kollar Fine Art Paintings from November 1 through December 15. —

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