Art Market Updates

James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl, 1861–1863, 1872. Oil on canvas, 83 7/8 x 42½ in. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Harris Whittemore Collection.

The Woman in White

The Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan and James McNeill Whistler explores the close personal relationship between famed historic artist James McNeill Whistler and Joanna Hiffernan. Featured in many of Whistler’s works including his famous Symphony in White series, Hiffernan is somewhat of a mystery. This exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, which features nearly 60 works including paintings, drawings, and prints, seeks to shed new light on Hiffernan’s life. Works will be on view through October 10 in the National Gallery’s East Building in Washington, D.C.

Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), Breakup, 1994. Tempera on panel. © Andrew Wyeth, Artists Rights Society (ARS). Collection of Jeb Jeutter, North Carolina. Photo courtesy Bonhams.

Andrew Wyeth: Life and Death

An intriguing exhibition on view through October 16, Andrew Wyeth: Life and Death is the first public presentation of a group of drawings in which the artist imagined his own funeral. Painted in the early 1990s, the images depict Wyeth’s “friends, neighbors, and wife, Betsy, surrounding a coffin at the base of Kuerner’s Hill in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, a site the artist long associated with death, including that of his father. Some of the drawings offer a view inside the coffin, revealing a rare self-portrait,” the museum notes. Andrew Wyeth: Life and Death is held at the Colby College Museum of Art.

Leland Little moves to new gallery

Hillsborough, North Carolina-based Leland Little Auctions recently moved into its new gallery, exhibition space and administrative offices. This new construction, the vision of Leland Little and executed through architect Richard Gurlitz, directly connects with the auction house’s existing building, providing a total 41,000 square feet of space. The material and structure of this new gallery will elevate the auction experience, with glass walls, high ceilings and sophisticated

spaces.“We are privileged and excited to announce the opening of our new modern auction gallery,” says president, Leland Little. “This gallery was designed to provide a space for the collecting community–to gather, to learn, to connect, and to grow in their field of interest, as well as to provide an opportunity to buy and sell in a professional, 21st century auction venue, whether digitally or in person.”

James Fitzgerald (1899-1971), Surf at Lobster Cove, ca. 1955. Watercolor and Chinese ink on paper, 21¼ x 28½ in. James Fitzgerald Legacy, Monhegan Museum of Art & History.

James Fitzgerald Retrospective

The Monhegan Museum of Art & History is currently holding a retrospective for 20th-century painter James Fitzgerald (1899-1971). Showcasing the artists’ watercolors and oil paintings, the exhibition begins with early sketches from his time as a student at the Massachusetts College of Art and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It continues with paintings from Monterey, California, where he relocated in 1929 and became part of a community of artists and writers known as the Cannery Row Circle. The exhibition will focus especially on Fitzgerald’s paintings of Monhegan Island. The Odyssey of James Fitzgerald will be showing through the end of September.

Lynne Mapp Drexler (1928-1999), Untitled (Purple Yellow), 1960. Gouache on paper, 19 x 24½ in.

Lynne Mapp Drexler

Painter and photographer Lynne Mapp Drexler–a rare woman of abstract expressionism in late 1950s New York–is only now starting to be recognized as a master, and celebrated internationally. According to California-based Rubine Red Gallery, which houses a number of Drexler’s works, her prices have risen steadily over the last five to seven years, “with a major value jump up starting early this year with auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams.” One of her works, a 1959 Untitled gouache, recently sold for $208,275 during Bonhams’ May 19 Post-War and Contemporary Art sale, while her 1966 Transported Blossems (est. $50/70,000) achieved $630,000 during Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Auction on May 20.

Charles White (1918-1979), Wanted Poster Series #17 (detail), 1971. Oil and pencil on poster board. Collection of the Flint Institute of Arts. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. B. Morris Pelavin, 1971.43.

Illustrating Race

Imprinted: Illustrating Race, held at the Norman Rockwell Museum, examines the role of published images in shaping attitudes toward race and culture. The exhibition features 300 artworks created between the late 18th century and present day, each impacting the public’s perception regarding race in the United States. The exhibition also explores the creative accomplishments of contemporary artists and publishers who have shifted the cultural narrative through the creation of positive, inclusive imagery emphasizing full agency and equity for all. Imprinted: Illustrating Race is on view through October 30.

People & Places

Amy Smith-Stewart has been named chief curator of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Smith-Stewart has served nine years at the museum, first as curator, and most recently as senior Curator. Smith-Stewart succeeds Richard Klein who retired from his position as Aldrich’s exhibitions director on June 10 after more than 30 years at the institution.

Joslyn Art Museum has announced the appointment of Kenneth Brummel to the position of curator of 20th century art. Most recently, Brummel served as associate curator of modern art at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto, Canada.

Heritage Auctions recently announced that Mark Grol, a leading expert with 25 years of experience in the auction business and international fine art community, has joined its London office as managing director.

The Farnsworth Art Museum has appointed Jaime DeSimone as its new chief curator. DeSimone began her new role this July, leading the museum’s exhibition and collection programs, withith nearly 20 years of curatorial experience under her belt. DeSimone comes to the Farnsworth Art Museum from the Portland Museum of Art in Maine, where she served as the Robert and Elizabeth Nanovic Curator of Contemporary Art.