When a successful Texas gentleman began decorating his 10,000 square foot home several years ago, he could have looked to top interior designers for inspiration. Instead, in search of a unique and engaging aesthetic, he sought advice from a select few of America’s top antique and folk art dealers. Over a five year period, he made purchases for his home based on color, form and whimsy, resulting in a collection that popped against the new architecture, spoke to his humble roots and sang to his guests - most of whom had never seen such an assemblage before.
In January of 2013, the collection of this Texas gentleman came to auction at Garth’s - to the delight and enthusiasm of folk art buyers all over the country. Bidding was fervent - with some items selling well above the high-retail prices he had paid. Folk art collectors rejoiced, and whispers were heard throughout shows in New York City just a week later, “Is the market back?”
Born in the 1930’s, by art world visionary and patron Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, the “folk art market” has experienced as many highs and lows as any other economic sector. The peak is considered to have hit in around 2006, when examples like a copper weathervane in the form of an American Indian chief sold for $5.8 million dollars at auction. Despite the astronomical prices of that period, as a segment of the art and antiques market folk art has often struggled for respect - with many a discussion surrounding exactly how to define the category.
In it’s infancy, the folk art market reflected the artwork created by unknown, itinerant and accidental artists of the 18th, 19th and 20th Century. Primarily (although not exclusively) folk art is an American phenomenon, speaking to the developing landscape of our earliest days as a country. Schoolteachers found extra income by painting portraits for students’ families; artists traveling westward for the promise of prosperity exchanged artworks for room and board; young girls whose family could afford the luxury of a dayschool produced intricate needleworks portraying family life. As it has grown, however, the folk art market has gobbled up categories like painted furniture and utilitarian objects that have been enhanced with whimsical decoration. Today, a folk art auction or show may contain objects from any of the past 300 years of American material culture - but are usually included as much because of the feeling the object inspires as the intention with which it was made.
With stylemakers touting a rustic, reclaimed aesthetic, look for more focus on this nebulous and intriguing market. In the meantime, get comfortable with thinking outside the box and start looking for the art in your everyday.
Sidebar: Most experts in the field today would agree that the “folk art market” was born of the visionary and intuitive eye of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. Her combination of financial means, formidable connections in the corporate world, hard work and a passion for art in all forms provided gifts to our cultural heritage that are invaluable today - including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Colonial Williamsburg, where the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum resides. Abby’s interest in art was as wide and deep as one can imagine - from Picasso to Monet to unidentified artists of the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries whose works had gone largely unappreciated before. It was Abby’s ability to independently define what “art” meant for her (and finding it in everyday objects) that has inspired several generations of collectors, including our Texas gentleman.
An interior scene from the home of a Texas gentleman whose folk art collection sold at auction earlier this year. The game boards (mostly 19th C), barber pole and other items were just a small portion of the nearly $1M in material with which he parted. The painted stepback cupboard in the foreground sold for $6,025.
This large hotel sign was displayed in the collector’s home among colorful game wheels, trade signs and store displays in a rustic, country setting. The helpful bellman brought $3,878 at Garth’s in January, 2013.
Game wheels are a favorite of many folk art collectors who love color, form and whimsy. Prices for the examples shown here ranged from several hundred to a few thousand dollars each. The Imperial Res’t Home Cooking lit exterior sign was a popular auction item when it fetched $3,643.
Paint-decorated buckets and boxes take on an artistic flair when displayed in multiples, as shown here. The warm, mellow 19th Century hues are attractive to collectors who favor a rustic, country aesthetic. The auction values ranged from approximately $300 to over $1,000.
A life-sized 19th Century saddle-maker’s model is wonderfully folksy, yet exudes a stylish sophistication - and, of course, was an uncommon but appropriate accessory in a large Texas home. It sold at auction for $8,813.
No comments:
Post a Comment