Collectible American history in wood

BY KATIE BANSER-WHITTLE

Folk art is infinitely variable and infinitely fascinating, both in subject matter and in materials. It is uniquely personal and often highly original. The men and women who create folk art are usually self-taught and often anonymous. They use their skills to express ideas, concerns and emotions about the people and events that affect their daily lives.

Folk artists aren’t motivated by money and they’re not out for personal recognition. Some of their highly individual creations don’t have much meaning or interest for other people. But the best folk art appeals to a wide audience. It’s admired for its themes, its ingenuity and its insight.

Numerous examples of the finest American folk art wood carvings will be offered in a Bonhams Skinner’s online auction “American History in Wood,” beginning Feb. 12 (President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday) and ending Feb. 22 (George Washington’s birthday). The sale features items from the Robert and Anne Levine collection.

For 35 years, this Westport, Connecticut, couple has assembled an extraordinary collection that ranges from whirligigs to images of glamour girls. It’s a three-dimensional history of American politics, culture and public life. The Levine collection is also a lesson in how great collections are created — and it’s not necessarily by spending huge amounts of money or by relying on the expertise of others.

When they started collecting, the Levines had full-time, demanding professional lives — he as a Norwalk neurologist; she as the business manager of a Southport architectural firm — but they also had a shared interest in history as well as strong instincts for finding great objects. Early on, they focused on folk-art wood carvings with an emphasis on items related to American history. The couple pursued and refined their interest at auctions, shows, antiques shops and museums. They educated themselves so they could rely on their own judgment about what to acquire and how much to pay.

The Levine collection is the result of more than three decades of active acquisition and intense scholarship. Among the outstanding items are several wood carvings of presidents — just in time for Presidents’ Day, Feb. 20 — ranging from several versions of Washington to more recent officeholders including Jimmy Carter, brightly painted, and a chip-carved portrait head of Richard Nixon.

Patriotic motifs are frequent in American folk art. One sculpture shows Kaiser Wilhelm II — the last German emperor, who was forced to abdicate at the end of World War I — kneeling in surrender to Uncle Sam. A particularly popular recruitment image at that time was Columbia — the United States embodied as a comely woman. She’s represented in the sale by a relief of her head, surrounded by stars and a draped American flag. Brilliantly painted red, white and blue, this almost abstract, early-20th century rendering is startlingly modern-looking.

This sale includes realistic, carved versions of the Navy SEAL emblem and the Great Seal of the United States. An unusual feature of the U.S. seal carving is that it was made by an Italian prisoner of war toward the end of World War II.

The upcoming auction of “American History in Wood” offers the chance to acquire examples of a fascinating collecting area. Material from a pair of legendary collectors is always worth close attention. It’s an ideal opportunity to add to, or even start, a collection of your own.

For more, contact Katie at kwhittle@skinnerinc.com or 212-787-1114.

“Washington and Liberty,” late 19th century, American stained and carved mahogany architectural panel fragment. To be offered in Bonhams Skinner’s “American History of Wood: The Levine Folk Art Collection” online auction, Feb. 12 through 22.

“Pocahontas and John Smith” (Circa 1860, American). To be offered in Bonhams Skinner’s “American History of Wood: The Levine Folk Art Collection” online auction, Feb. 12 through 22. In recent years, critics have reconsidered the nature of the Pocahontas-Smith relationship – now viewed as a friendship rather than a romance – along with sexualized images of women of color, like Pocahontas, who died far from her Powhatan people in 1617 England at age 21. Among those claiming descent from her have been Edith Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire).