Tied for top-lot status was “Dunes” by Anne Packard (b 1933), 2006, oil on canvas, 20 by 22 inches framed, signed lower left, which realized $10,240 ($4/6,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
PROVINCETOWN, MASS. — On March 7, Bakker Auctions conducted its intimate Winter Live Online Auction, which featured predominantly local fine art in the form of paintings, prints and mixed media. “With 130 lots, the sale grossed just over $190,000,” shared director Spencer Keasey. “Only nine of the 130 lots remained unsold at the end of the day, a 93 percent sell-through rate.”
Keasey was also happy to report on the success of the sale: “The sale did exceptionally well. It was our best winter auction since we started 13 years ago, nearly 20 percent higher than the next-highest sale.” He continued, “Bakker Auctions is a niche auction house, tiny given we sell under 600 lots per year, but our clients and followers are devoted. Many winners are local or have second homes in Provincetown, but as our audience continues to expand, we’re always surprised where a piece we sell may land. On average, about 20 percent of buyers for our auctions are new clients.”
Two oil on canvas paintings by Provincetown native Anne Packard tied with the winning price, both securing $10,240. “Dunes” done in 2006, depicted sand dunes and was signed lower left, while “Provincetown Rooftops” was done in 1991 and was signed lower right.
One of the paintings by Anne Packard (b 1933) to earn the sale-high price of $10,240 was “Provincetown Rooftops,” 1991, oil on canvas, 13½ by 21½ inches framed, signed lower right ($5/7,000).
The two Packard paintings were followed by Robert Bliss’s “Two Boys,” a circa 1960s oil on panel that sold to a client from Belgium for $9,600, surpassing its $2/3,000 estimate. Several other paintings focusing on a human subject crossed the block with high prices, including “Interior” by Joseph Floch, a 1945 oil on canvas depicting a woman standing by a dining table, which realized $8,320, as well as the oil on panel “Mudhead” by Betty Warren, which reached $2,688, more than doubling its $800-$1,200 estimate.
“The most notable and significant sale in terms of meaning and import is that the Joseph Floch is heading back to his country and city of birth, Vienna, Austria,” shared Keasey. “While this piece was an anomaly for us, given our regional focus, its sale is a clear indication that even the smallest auction house can have a wide reach with today’s marketplace and technology.”
Polish-born American painter Solomon Wilson was represented by six works in the sale, ranging in price from $320 for the color lithograph “Hodgkins Dock,” to $5,120 for “The Artist,” an oil on canvas completed sometime in the mid Twentieth Century. Also realizing above estimate was Wilson’s “The Corner Store,” an oil on canvas that sold for $4,160 ($2/3,000).
Artists Agnes Weinrich and Albert Edel were represented by four works each. Weinrich’s selections were led at $2,176 by “Abstract Composition,” a circa 1920 wood printing block, which was previously exhibited in 1988 at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum in its exhibition “Provincetown Printing Blocks.” Also selling was “Portrait,” an oil on canvas nailed to a wood frame ($1,536); the watercolor “Flowers” ($1,152); and the circa 1920 wood printing block “Pitcher and Fruit,” which also had provenance to the same exhibition as “Abstract Composition” ($960).
Salvatore Del Deo’s (b 1928) “Provincetown Harbor,” 1987, oil on canvas, 32 by 42 inches framed, signed lower right, realized $8,320 ($10/15,000).
Edel’s “Boats, Provincetown” led the artist’s offerings at $704. The oil on board was followed by two etchings, “Quiet Harbor” ($288) and “The Three Towers” ($256), which were both framed; “Low Tide,” another etching, had not sold by press time.
A selection of townscapes made noise with bidders, earning some of the highest prices of the sale. At $8,320 was “Provincetown Harbor,” a 1987 oil on canvas by Salvatore Del Deo, which was signed lower right. Following close behind was “Spring Landscape, Pond Village, Truro” by Lucy L’Engle, a 1934 oil on panel that realized $6,400. Other townscapes and paintings of buildings that did well included the casein on board “Houses” by Kenneth Stubbs ($5,440), “Lighthouse” by Robert Cardinal ($4,800) and “Night Cottage” by John Dowd, an oil on linen ($4,160).
“Houses” was not the only Stubbs painting to sell, as another casein on board work of the artist’s, “Summer,” which was completed in 1961, finished at $1,408. The work depicted several men and women sitting on the beach in their bathing suits. Dowd was also represented by multiple works and sold the oil on linen titled “Moors II” for $3,840, only slightly less than “Night Cottage.”
A light in the dark was “Night Cottage” by John Dowd (b 1960), oil on linen, 12¾ inches square framed, which illuminated for $4,160 ($3/5,000).
Several seascapes and works depicting boats sailed to high prices, such as Angele Myrer’s White-line woodblock print “Dory Fisherman,” which was printed in 1957 and signed lower right. Just surpassing its $2/3,000 estimate, the work made $3,712. A local watercolor by George Yater titled “Foggy Morning At MacMillan Wharf, Provincetown,” depicted a boat named Victory II and sailed to $2,688. Also by Yater was “Harbor Fish Weir,” another watercolor signed lower right, which docked within its estimate to make $2,432 ($2/3,000).
While cityscapes and seascapes were popular, there were a few works depicting furry (and feathery) friends that found new homes as well. The menagerie was led by “Rabbit,” a 2014 oil on canvas by contemporary artist Jo Hay. Signed verso, the work hopped past its $800-$1,200 estimate to make $4,480. Also exceeding its $600/800 estimate was “Same Chicken” by Selina Trieff (1934-2015), which flew to $1,408. The 1990 aquatint was marked “A.P. IV” on its lower left corner, indicating that it was an artist’s proof. Finally, William Oscar Johnson’s (1931-2012) 1996 oil on canvas “Surfman with Licorice” depicted a black horse named Licorice and galloped to $1,216 ($600/800).
Two works by Pablo Picasso sold, led by “Toros,” a circa 1953 ceramic plate from the Madoura studio. According to catalog notes, “the bull became one of the favorite motifs in Madoura ceramics and the artist conceived an entire series entitled ‘â Torosâ’ in 1952. The piece on offer belongs to this series, as one of the 500 copies issued over the years. It is an early work of the series, related to the earlier and more valuable realm of the artistâs Madoura production.” Made from white earthenware clay with decorations in engobes and oxidized paraffin, the 8-inch in diameter plate was accompanied by a “Madoura Potiers” slip, was marked with a “Edition Picasso, Madoura Plein feu ed.,” publisher’s stamp to its base and was bid to $2,304.
“The Artist” by Solomon “Sol” Wilson (1896-1974), mid Twentieth Century, oil on canvas, 18½ by 26½ inches framed, drew up a $5,120 finish ($2/3,000).
Also by Picasso was “Le Picasso De Poche II,” a 1964 drypoint etching that was numbered “4/100.” Depicting several nude figures and side profile portrait sketches, the work totaled $640.
Two hooked rugs from the Provincetown School crossed the block for $1,280 and $640 respectively. The first, titled “Long Point,” was made in the mid Twentieth Century and measured 24 by 38 inches. The second measured 32 by 46 inches and was titled “Dunes,” depicting sand dunes by the water.
Keasey closed by explaining the significance of local auction houses, such as his. “I really want to say something about how significantly the auction world is changing, with larger auction houses buying smaller ones, capturing local markets, and, in doing so, creating the corporatization of something that should never be reduced to a ‘market takeover’ mentality. Our results prove that local is better, smaller is powerful and knowing and caring for your clients is invaluable.”
Bakker will have a timed auction on April 11, followed by its Spring Live Online Auction on June 6. Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.bakkerproject.com or 508-413-9758.
