Renny Reynolds, landscape architect, founder of the elite floral and event company Renny & Reed in New York City and author of The Art of the Party, is one of the most renowned entertaining, gardening and lifestyle experts in the country. In the Studio 54 days, Reynolds was the most sought-after designer for the party decade’s most lavish events, with a client list that included celebrities and socialites such as Giorgio Armani, Yves St. Laurent, Bianca Jagger, Diana Ross and Mrs. Vincent Astor.
On September 21, the public will get a glimpse into the aesthetic sensibilities of the tastemaker in Garden Party: The Collection of Renny Reynolds presented by Freeman’s | Hindman. The thoughtfully curated sale will feature more than 100 lots, including 30-plus paintings by artists associated with the Pennsylvania Impressionist School, as well as British and American furniture and decorative arts.
George William Sotter (1879-1953), Country Road at Twilight, 1916. Oil on canvas, 22 x 26 in. Estimate: $40/60,000
“Renny fell in love with the beautiful countryside of Bucks County and this naturally led him to the work of the Pennsylvania Impressionists,” says Freeman’s | Hindman deputy chairman, Alasdair Nichol. “The reason we are having the sale is because he was selling his beautiful home in the area, the wonderfully named ‘Dogs and Frogs,’ and he was going to go on extensive travels around the world. Not long after departing he realized how much he loved the area and is now renting another property just a few miles from his former home.”
The leading lot in the sale, with a high estimate of $100,000, is Robert Spencer’s Waterloo Row from 1917. Depicting a row of tenements in New Hope, where the artist relocated in the early 1910s, it shows the artist’s empathy for the local working class, which he often depicted—unlike other artists from the New Hope colony.
Robert Spencer (1879-1931), Waterloo Row, 1917. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in. Estimate: $60/100,000
“Spencer doesn’t appear on the market with the same frequency as some of the other Pennsylvania impressionists,” says Nichol, “and whilst his work is sometimes deemed less ‘commercial’ than that of others due to its social commentary, the New Hope subject matter of Waterloo Row will be an attractive one for collectors.”
Renowned Pennsylvania Impressionist George Sotter, one of Redfield’s protégés, is well-represented with three works in the sale, including the 1916 canvas Country Road at Twilight, expected to fetch between $40,000 and $60,000.
Daniel Garber (1880-1958), Sycamore and Elm. Oil on canvas, 20 x 18 in. Estimate: $50/80,000
“Country Road at Twilight is a particularly evocative and hauntingly lit nocturnal scene,” says Nichol. “Sotter has always proved popular amongst collectors of the New Hope School. Other standouts for me are a marvelous Garber showing the turning of the seasons, an intimate and mysterious (almost Hitchcockian!) Harry Leith-Ross, superb examples by Kenneth Nunamaker and many others including rare outings at auction for RAD Miller and Lillian Montague.”
Complementing the fine art is a carefully curated selection of formal Pennsylvania furniture and rustic, whimsical small objects and patterned textiles, including an array of English and European majolica, hooked rugs, metal lighting fixtures, miniature collectibles and garden items, making for a comprehensive sale of decorative art for indoors and out.
Kenneth R. Nunamaker (1890-1957), Early Spring, Oil on canvas, 281/8 x 321/8 in. Estimate: $30/50,000
“Renny has been a delight to work with, and it has been a pleasure getting to know him and his partner Ateeq,” says Nichol. “Due to his generosity of spirit and warm personality, he has a huge circle of friends, in addition to the many devotees of his work and his vision. We soon discovered this when seemingly half of Bucks County turned up at an opening featuring his collection that we held at Phillips Mill—‘home’ of the Pennsylvania Impressionists. It became clear that many of those in attendance would love to own an artwork carrying the unique Renny Reynolds provenance.”
A pre-sale exhibition will be held at Freeman’s | Hindman Philadelphia galleries from September 15 through 20, each day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. —
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