Market report

What we’re hearing from galleries and auction houses across the country.

Courtney S. Kopplin

Gallery Manager
Vose Galleries

Vose Galleries is proud to celebrate our 180th anniversary. To honor the gallery’s legacy, we are revisiting a favorite theme this fall in Our Best to You exhibition, showcasing some of the finest we have to offer in 19th- and 20th-century American paintings.

Our collectors are largely drawn to bright, colorful palettes and optimistic themes, which echoes our shared positive outlook for the future. New England land- and seascapes continue to sell well, particularly those by artists we’ve represented since their lifetimes. A trio of Reynolds Beal’s vibrant interpretations of coastal Massachusetts found ready buyers throughout 2021, and Aldro Hibbard’s beautiful winter scenes sold from our walls at a steady pace. We’re pleased with the strong interest from a new coterie of collectors in acquiring high-quality American impressionist and post-impressionist paintings. John Carlson’s moody forest-scapes, Charles Woodbury’s Ogunquit views and Walter Farndon’s harbor scenes draw both regular clients and new buyers who are just beginning their collecting journeys.

Likewise, little gems from both the 19th and 20th-centuries are being snapped up faster than we can have them cleaned! Examples of recent sales include a Martin Johnson Heade red rose still life, a striking 1870s view of Boston at sunset by Sylvester Hodgdon and a charming Lee Lufkin Kaula garden scene. Therefore, it’s beneficial to check in with your trusted dealer often to update your collecting interests. While the pandemic limited our in-person events and visits, it also allowed us to strengthen our relationships with long-time collectors and connect with new clients via digital catalogs and web exhibitions, as well as virtual art fairs and other online platforms.

The interest in fresh-to-the-market examples by women artists remains high, particularly stand-outs like Jane Peterson, Martha Walter and Gertrude Fiske. We’re always looking for painters of similar caliber and one of these discoveries was Helen Kiner McCarthy, a founding member of The Philadelphia Ten. We currently have a lovely Italian scene showing her intuitive sense of design and color—the sun-splashed architecture of Taormina glows off the canvas and is wonderfully complemented with verdant trees and grass. Exceptional pieces like this rarely come on the market, and we’re thrilled to represent it.

Vose Galleries LLC
238 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116
www.vosegalleries.com