Successful Fine Art Fundraising Auction Supports Artists and The Museum of Art
By Catherine Mazur, Museum of Art
July 7, 2010
The Museum of Art, UNH earned more than $190,000 in financial support during
its recent Raising the Bar: Fine Art Auction. The auction realized successful
bids for works by some of the region’s renowned 19th c. Boston Impressionist
artists as well as more than 50 regional contemporary artists.
Raising the Bar: Fine Art Auction secured a record amount of funds raised
by a single special event for the Museum of Art. Donors’ and artists’ direct
support were key factors in its success. Funds raised will be used for
Museum of Art exhibitions and educational programs, to support the acquisition
and conservation of select works of art, and to upgrade museum infrastructure
(storage and lighting capacity).
One of the many highlights of the auction was an important work by American artist
Mary Bradish Titcomb (1858-1927) “The Writer”, which realized an
auction-high bid of $85,000. This ties the artist’s personal record at
auction. Other early 20th c. works, including “View of Portsmouth” by
Gertrude Horsford Fiske, (1879-1961); “White Roses” by Hermann Dudley
Murphy (1867-1945); and
“Landscape #35” and “Summer
Day”
by William Jurian Kaula (1871-1953), all realized solid market
prices as well.
Securing a bid of $2,800, a large-scale painting of Tuckerman’s Ravine
by the late New Hampshire artist David C. Baker was among the works which received
a great deal of interest. The painting was a favorite among New Hampshire outdoor
enthusiasts as well as art appreciators. This Granite State landmark was among
the many regional landscapes which drew attention and received high bids, including
James Mullen’s “York River” and “Freeport Brook” Christopher
Barnes’s photograph “Chesuncook”
(from the book “Maine
Lakes”
) Jack Pollard’s
“Nubble Light Squared” and “York
Harbor” as well as Matthew Smith’s “Farewell Old Man”,
a relief print of the Old Man of the Mountain.
Other recognizable landscapes secured high bids, including: Jayne Dwyer’s
“Rocky
Coast”
(Newcastle);
Tom Glover’s “Mt. Monadnock”;
four Portsmouth scenes, Don Gorvett’s “Tug, John Wanamaker” and “First
Snow, Ceres Street” and Dewitt Hardy’s “Prescott Park and Bridge
Entrance” and “Bow Street in Winter”; William Mitchell’s “Mt.
Washington from Wildcat” and “View from Beech Mountain”; as
well as James Reagan’s “Yellow House on the Bay” and “Rocky
Beach.”
Several works by UNH art studio faculty emeriti, including Sigmund Abeles’s “My
Last Figure Drawing as a Professor at UNH” and Carol Aronson-Shore’s “Strawbery
Banke House in Fall” were among those receiving high bids. A beautifully
rendered drawing by the late Durham artist John Hatch, “Ancient Oak”,
sold for $1,300 after a round of spirited bidding. Works by current art faculty
members, including Brian Chu, Craig Hood, Scott Schnepf, and Don Williams were
also sold.
One goal of the event was to establish a means for artists to receive appropriate
compensation from the sale of their works.
According to Wes LaFountain, interim director, Museum of Art, “This event
would not have been possible without the high quality of works submitted by local,
regional, national, and internationally-recognized artists. In organizing this
event, consideration was given to recognizing the importance of supporting artists
who support us by participating in our auction. This year, we were able to provide
almost $14,000 in artists’ commissions.”
Devin Moisan of Devin Moisan Auctioneers, Inc., Dover, NH (NH Lic. # 2922), presented
the items for bidding, paying special attention to the historical significance
of works donated by former faculty members of the Department of Art and Art History,
as well as many alumni and other regional artists who pursue successful careers
as working artists in their own right.
“Raising the Bar” was organized by members of the Museum of
Art’s board of advisors, staff, and volunteers. It was made possible by
the generous support of the Friends of the Museum of Art, and a grant from the
Office of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, UNH. The Museum of
Art, UNH, would also like to thank the following sponsors for their valuable
support of the auction: Premier Aviation at Portsmouth; Charter Oak Capital
Management; Sam and Paula Reid; Debra Holloway and Scott Marion; Anna Grace
and Paul Holloway; and the England Family Foundation, Inc.
For more information, contact the Museum of Art at 2-3712 or via email at museum.of.art
@unh.edu.
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