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FRIDAY MAY 6, 2022 • VOL. 52, NO. 18
Major Exhibition At The Met Of Winslow Homer’s Watercolors And Oil Paintings Examines Themes Of Conflict And Struggle In His Art “Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents” Now Open Renowned for his powerful paintings of American life and scenery, Winslow Homer (1836–1910) remains a consequential figure whose art continues to appeal to broad audiences. Opened on April 11, “Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents” reconsiders the artist’s work through the lens of conflict, a theme that spans his prolific career. A persistent fascination with struggle permeates Homer’s art, from emblematic images of the Civil War and Reconstruction that examine the effects of the conflict on the landscape, soldiers, and formerly enslaved people to dramatic scenes of rescue and hunting, as well as monumental seascapes and dazzling tropical works painted throughout the Atlantic world. The centerpiece of the exhibition will be The Met’s iconic “The Gulf Stream,” a painting that reveals Homer’s lifelong engagement with the charged subjects of race, geopolitics, and nature. Featuring 88 oils and watercolors, this major loan exhibition represents the largest critical overview of Homer’s art and life in more than a quarter of a century. The exhibition is made possible by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation. Corporate sponsorship is provided by Bank of America. Additional support is provided by the Barrie A. and Deedee Wigmore Foundation, the Terra Foundation for American Art, White & Case LLP, the Enterprise Holdings Endowment, and Ann M. Spruill and Daniel H. Cantwell. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. It is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The National Gallery, London. “Winslow Homer is one of the best known and most beloved American artists,” said Max Hollein, the museum’s Marina Kellen French director. “By focusing on the theme of conflict across his art, this exhibition will raise timely questions about his significance and appeal, encouraging a fresh understanding of his deeply thoughtful approach to depicting complex social and political issues of his era, many of which remain pertinent today.” “This exhibition will foreground Homer’s potent oil and watercolor paintings of the Atlantic world against his wider oeuvre, challenging the popular conception of him as the ‘Yankee’ realist who painted mostly Northeastern subjects. In
Anne Frank First Edition And Lloyd Mifflin Poetry Collection Added To Benefit Auction Columbia Public Library Fundraiser To Be Held May 15 Past, present and future will come together on Sunday, May 15, at the Columbia Public Library’s Second Annual Art Auction, a fundraising event featuring live bidding on more than two dozen historic and contemporary works of art and “buy it now” opportunities on a number of donated items. The library is also expanding a feature that proved popular at the inaugural 2021 event, deaccessioning a selection of high-interest and collector-quality books from its collection. Most of the individual books are priced at $5 or $10, with a few Continued on page 2
Winslow Homer’s (American, 1836–1910) “The Gulf Stream,” 1899, an oil-on-canvas, 28 1/8-by-49 1/8 inches, is from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe collection, Wolfe Fund, 1906 (06.1234). doing so, we hope to encourage a more nuanced interpretation of his overall production, sophisticated artistry, and keen ability to distill complicated issues,” said Sylvia Yount, exhibition co-curator and the Lawrence A. Fleischman curator in charge of the American Wing. “This focused examination of Homer’s brilliant career will highlight his continuing relevance in his exploration of universal themes, including human beings’ struggle with one another, with nature, and with mortality. We look forward to introducing Homer to a new generation as we ask fresh questions about his art,” added Stephanie L. Herdrich, exhibition co-curator and associate curator of American Painting and Sculpture. Exhibition Overview The exhibition will open by situating Homer’s work in the Atlantic world, a diasporic concept linked to the geo∆graphical region along the Gulf Stream from the Caribbean up the East Coast of the United States and across the ocean to Great Britain. Upon entering the galleries, visitors will immediately glimpse the painting that inspired the exhibition, “The Gulf Stream” (1899, reworked by 1906; The Met) through a window that opens into another gallery. The installation then unfolds in thematic and
chronological sections that explore the idea of conflict in Homer’s art. The first section, “War and Reconstruction,” will establish the theme of conflict as fundamental to Homer’s art since the start of his professional career, when he worked as a “special artist” documenting the American Civil War (1861–65) for Harper’s Weekly. Homer probed the war’s emotional and physical impact on the soldiers and landscape in a haunting series of paintings, from “Sharpshooter” (1863; Portland Museum of Art), his first important oil, to “Prisoners from the Front” (1866; The Met). Homer’s subsequent depictions of Reconstruction-era Virginia suggest his concern with racial struggle and its uncertain outcomes. Among his arresting portrayals of newly emancipated “Black Virginians is Dressing for the Carnival” (1877; The Met), one of several works that have undergone conservation for the exhibition, revealing new information about Homer’s artistic process. After the war, while maintaining a studio in New York City, Homer followed travelers to resorts throughout the northeastern United States, where many sought the restorative power of nature to assuage the pain of war and as an antidote to rapid urbanization. The
National Association Of Milk Bottle Collectors Annual Convention Scheduled
exhibition’s second section will present Homer’s early images of the seashore as a site of both leisure and labor during this time, while also revealing his burgeoning engagement with watercolor. On view will be his widely celebrated “Breezing Up” (1873–76; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.), an optimistic oil painting of men and boys at sea, a theme that would become a leitmotif for Homer. Other works depict children at play near the shore, such as “A Basket of Clams” (1873; The Met) and “How Many Eggs?” (1873; Karen and Kevin Kennedy). These seemingly lighthearted images intimate darker themes, foreshadowing the artist’s later seascapes depicting the dangers of maritime life. In 1881, Homer traveled across the Atlantic and spent a transformative 19 months in England. He resided mainly in the North Sea fishing community of Cullercoats, where he produced a number of dramatic paintings and watercolors inspired by the locals’ sustaining ties to the ocean. Upon returning to New York, Homer infused his art with a newfound gravitas, painting harrowing episodes at sea. The third section of the exhibition will focus on the theme of rescue as seen in works like “The Life Line”
The National Association of Milk Bottle Collectors (NAMBC) will hold its 40th annual Convention and Bottle Show at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center in Sturbridge, Mass., on Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21. The event provides association members and also nonmembers the opportunity to share their knowledge and interests plus buy, sell, and trade milk bottles and
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EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 6
40th Annual Event Will Be May 20 And 21 In Sturbridge, Mass.
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In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . starting on page 2 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 5 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . starting on page 7 AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . on page 7
FEATURE AUCTION: Rich Penn Auction March 13, 14, and 15, Waterloo, Iowa - Page 4
CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . .on page 11