A few weeks back I blogged that Asher Durand's fabulous landscape, Progress, had been sold. We're still not sure who purchased it, but now there's news that another 29 of the Westervelt Company's paintings that have been on display in the Westervelt-Warner Museum have been sent from Tuscaloosa to Christie's for auction. Included in that is an Andrew Wyeth painting, Silver Cove. One of my favorite paintings, Thomas Cole's Falls of the Kaaterskill is still there.
There's no mention in the article of the fate of Jonathan Fisher's View of Blue Hill, Maine -- a relatively obscure but beautiful work of mid-nineteenth century landscape art. I wonder if when it goes on the market that will help stir interest in Fisher's work.
I was fortunate to have visited this wonderful collection when it was intact. It was the best collection of American art work in private hands but it was generously open to the public. It is sad to see it getting broken up. If it moves to other hands either private or public where the paintings will be available for public viewing that would be nice. Still it is personally sad for me to see it broken up and to know that others will not be able to enjoy what I was fortunate to enjoy.
Posted by: Bill | April 07, 2011 at 11:45 AM
I agree with everything you say, Bill. The collection was fantastic and I very much hope that its riches end up on public display. I'd hoped that a lot of it might end up at Crystal Bridges, Alice Walton's new museum.
Posted by: Alfred Brophy | April 07, 2011 at 12:00 PM