William H. Willcox (1831–1929), “Skating on the Schuylkill,” 1875, oil on canvas, 16¼ by 24½ inches, signed lower left “WH Willcox 1875” ($25/35,000).
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Brunk Auctions will sell the Dick Button skating collection of paintings, posters, folk art and figure skating memorabilia. The collection is included in Brunk Auctions’ premier auction on January 25-26.
Dick Button is widely considered one of the premiere male figure skaters of all time. He dominated the world of figure skating for a seven-year period, winning two Olympic gold medals (1948 and 1952), five consecutive World Championships, seven US National titles and four North American and European Championships. Button has since had a long and illustrious broadcasting career spanning 50 years (1960-2010), becoming the first winner of an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Sports Personality – Analyst” in 1981. In December 2015, he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame as the first honoree of the Sports Analyst category.
Button’s legacy in the sport extends beyond competition, performance, analysis and production. He has built a diverse collection of paintings, prints, posters, sculptures, costumes and folk art that honors the long history, evolving artistry and cultural impact of skating.
Highlights of the works up for auction include a panoramic work by the French-American artist Regis Francois Gignoux from 1854 of “Snow Storm Threatening,” an almost 5-foot-long ice skating scene; an 1875 Philadelphia “Skating on the Schuylkill” by American artist William Willcox, showing 113 highly detailed figure skaters on the ice; posters by Jules Cheret and Toulouse Lautrec, among others; rare skating scenes by Currier & Ives; decorative art, including a rare hooked rug of figure skaters; numerous rare and historic skates, even costumes worn by Button and an Olympic torch he carried in 2002. The collection is both highly personal and comprehensive and tells the story of both figure skating and its most important personality.
Brunk Auctions is at 117 Tunnel Road. For information, 828-254-6846 or www.brunkauctions.com.
