Tag: Norman Rockwell

Emergency Motion! Berkshire Museum dramatic courtroom hearing

Posted on by Catherine
loose lips might sink ships goff poster.png
WWII poster, Loose Lips might Sink Ships  Seymour R Goff (“essargee“) From 1934-43, milions of New Deal and Works Progress Administration (WPA) posters (original silkscreens, woodcuts and lithos) were created from nearly 35, 000 designs for various government agencies. All the poster divisions were transferred to the War Department by 1942. Seagram sponsored this one.
On Wednesday, November 1, 2017, there was a hearing in Berkshire Superior Court concerning efforts to block the upcoming Sotheby’s sale of Berkshire Museum art. Judge John Agostini presided over the hearing. Apparently the plaintiff cases were not enough; the Attorney General’s office filed an emergency motion DURING yesterday’s two hour hearing. There was a large audience. More than one observer felt that the courtroom scene looked like a Norman Rockwell painting. Judge Agostini said he will make his decision soon.
Here’s the conclusion from The Berkshire Eagle article by Larry Parnass (they’ll be getting awards for their coverage):
Trustees acted unreasonably, she said, by treating the art collection as “fungible.”
The term refers to a commodity that can be traded for something else, such as cash.
Instead, Aladro said, the board turned away from its “core legacy” as a museum and took steps that will sever its connection to cultural institutions it needs to hold future exhibitions. “You ask what the museum did wrong,” Keating said to the judge. “They violated their own written policies.”  Briefs filed in the case show that trustees voted to sign a contract with Sotheby’s weeks before removing provisions from policies that prohibited selling art in the way it intends. Keating also accused trustees of secrecy. “They knew there would be pushback. They didn’t want to face this.” He pointed to an email sent last May by the trustees president, Elizabeth McGraw, that asked fellow trustees to keep quiet. The subject line of the email read, “Loose lips sink ships.” “They didn’t want this ship sunk,” Keating said. 
Save the Art Save the Museum Facebook https://www.facebook.com/savetheartsavethemuseum/
See prior posts on GMG
 A few more examples of WPA era posters

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Berkshire Museum Nailbiter- Healy halts Sotheby’s…some

Posted on by Catherine

shuffleton-s-barbershop-1950The Berkshire Eagle has done a great job covering the Berkshire Museum’s puzzling year of undoing.  The museum has consigned 40 of its most recognized and regarded works of art to finance an expansion and rebrand. Sotheby’s Berkshire Museum sales commence Nov 13th.

Read the Attorney General’s complete filing here:

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/attorney-general-calls-on-berkshire-museum-to-halt-sale-of-artworks,523205?

Norman Rockwell’s sons lobbied hard for the art to stay in Pittsfield, per the artist’s intent. One granddaughter penned a different opinion, a plea to George Lucas–a major Rockwell collector– hoping he’d acquire them for his future illustration museum. Sotheby’s has unveiled billboards. The museum is firm on selling.  Next steps?

it’s up to the Berkshire Superior Court judge to hear both sides tomorrow morning.

 

 

Will Pittsfield museum be the pits? Last ditch attempts to keep the art in MA

Posted on by Catherine
Will Pittsfield’s Berskshire Museum earn a derisive eponymous nickname?
The Berkshire Museum wants to sell its core collection, 40 works including two Norman Rockwells, a lovely John LaFarge Magnolia, a Vuillard, Calder’s first public commissions, and other high lights* for an expansion and redirection. The deaccession has been denounced in art news headlines for the past year, and defended by its museum board. Various alternatives have been batted about including merging with Williams College or moving the art to other MA institutions. Two of the works to be sold were given by the artist, Norman Rockwell. Three sons of the artist are suing to keep the art at the museum. The barbershop depicted in Rockwell’s April 29, 1950 Saturday Evening Post cover was located in East Arlington, Vermont. The Rockwells moved from VT to Stockbridge in 1953. If it’s sold and leaves MA completely, I hope it ends up in a museum near East Arlington, VT.
The auction sale dates are closing in. Crowdfunding for legal costs ramped up, but only recently. Visit the trending gofundme campaign Save the Art Save the Museum https://www.gofundme.com/savetheartsavethemuseum
The Rose Art Museum and Detroit art sales were thwarted. However, full court PR campaigns weren’t launched for an auction sale, which is now the case with the Berkshire Museum upcoming sales at Sotheby’s.
shuffleton-s-barbershop-1950

PITTSFIELD — Three sons of artist Norman Rockwell went to court Friday to stop the auction of 40 works owned by the Berkshire Museum, including two donated by their father. Their action represents the clearest challenge to date of the museum’s plan, announced in July, to sell art to improve its balance sheet and to renovate its South Street facility. – By Larry Parnass

map of Massachusetts museums-

Museums in Massachusetts in google maps by Catherine Ryan.jpg

In addition to the Berkshire Museum pieces, the upcoming Sotheby’s sale on the 13th includes artists with connections to Gloucester such as Anna Hyatt Huntington, Paul Manship and Milton Avery:

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Gloucester and Fiesta at Peabody Essex Museum

Posted on by Catherine

As I frequent museums and collections for work,  and Gloucester art abounds, I suffer bouts of ‘Gloucester acquisition affliction’ . Relative newcomers at PEM include a St. Peter Fiesta scene by Gifford Beal and one of Portuguese Hill by Olga Itasca Sears.  As much as I am fond of PEM– and I mean no disrespect to this august institution– I sorely wish the Cape Ann Museum had received the art or funds for acquisition. There are few major historic paintings of Gloucester (and the greater region) which remain in private hands. They include works by Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper. I’m trying.

While at PEM for special exhibits, I often check the permanent installation. Are the Frank Benson works and Norman Rockwell on view?  Check. I make a point to spend time in front of the Philip Reisman 1951 Tuna Shed, another Gloucester painting and one that Wicked Tuna fans may like to scrutinize.  Reisman was a masterful, versatile painter, and a smart gentle man. I was lucky to know and work with him. The Cape Ann Museum has examples of his Gloucester paintings in their collection and a binder of slides, photographs he took, many Fiesta. I remember labeling some.

I paused more than I ever have at the John Trumbull portrait of Alexander Hamilton. (Hmm. Have museums tagged works representing Alexander Hamilton? It would be a mastery of quick edits matched up to the Lin Manuel Miranda song.)

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GIFFORD BEAL (1879-1956), Fiesta of Saint Peter, Gloucester, c.1930                                              Oil on masonite, Gift of the family of Gifford Beal, 2006. Peabody Essex Museum.
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OLGA ITASCA SEARS (1906-1990). Portuguese Hill, Gloucester. ca.1950s. Oil on canvas. The Sheila W. And Samuel M. Robbins Collection. Peabody Essex Museum. (2015 acquisition)
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PHILIP REISMAN, Tuna Shed, 1951, oil on masonite. Gift of Louise K. Reisman. Peabody Essex Museum.

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#Hamilton, @ Lin_Manuel, #PEM                                                                                                     John Turnbull, Portrait of Alexander Hamilton, 1792, oil on canvas, gift of George A Ward, 1918, collection Peabody Essex Museum

I am looking forward to the upcoming Childe Hassam show opening July 16th at PEM. I went to see the Rodin exhibit.

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