The top lot of the auction was this unusual Charles Burchfield (American, 1893-1967) watercolor titled “Hay Wagons,” which achieved $11,250 ($10/20,000).
Review by Andrea Valluzzo
WILLOW, N.Y. — A variety of fine art with an especially good selection of area artists associated with the Woodstock art scene dominated the bidding at James Cox Gallery’s annual Collectors Exchange Fine Art Auction on June 7.
Boasting a 94 percent sell-through rate, the online-only auction went well and the auctioneers were pleased, said Mary Anna Goetz, the firm’s resident artist and bookkeeper. She and husband James Cox have been championing local artists for more than 35 years since opening their gallery in this Woodstock hamlet in 1990. “We did well and are quite happy,” she said. “The highlight would be the Burchfield that went to private collector in Massachusetts.”
The Burchfield she refers to is a distinctive 1933 watercolor titled “Hay Wagons,” which achieved top-lot status when it sold for $11,250. With provenance to the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York City, the double-sided painting was consigned from the son of the couple who purchased it from the gallery. The picture is unique for the artist, who tended to favor transcendental views of trees and homes instead of sprawling landscape as he painted in this example. Adding to its value and interest was an incomplete watercolor of ice floes in a stream on the reverse.
One of Japan’s most renowned woodblock artists, Utagawa Hiroshige, was represented in the sale with “Jūmantsubo Plain at Fukagawa Susaki,” which made $8,750 ($3/5,000).
While American artists are often the focus of the Gallery’s auctions, several notable exceptions performed well, led by an oil on canvas by Peruvian artist Victor Martinez Malaga (1890-1976). The work, “Almuerzo,” soared over its $200/300 estimate to bring $9,375. Another key artwork was a woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), an eminent artist during the Edo period. His 1856 print titled “Jūmantsubo Plain at Fukagawa Susaki,” from the series “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo,” attained $8,750, easily surpassing its high estimate. “He is one of the finest Japanese woodblock artists, and we were happy with the results that showed what the market would allow,” Goetz said. The print depicted a view of marshlands of Fukagawa, though a soaring eagle is a focal point in the composition.
Given the gallery’s location in Woodstock, where an art colony has thrived for decades, local artists are always prominently featured in its auctions. Crossing the block was a work in pastel and graphite on paper by Doris Lee, created circa 1961 as a study for an October magazine cover illustration for Better Homes & Gardens. A note written by the artist and affixed to the reverse of the work, discussed the evolution of this composition as she changed her mind on colors and moved a tree to the center. Estimated at $600/800, the artwork sold for $3,250.
John Fenton (1912-1977), who lived in Woodstock and often exhibited at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, was represented by his circa 1950s oil on canvas “Dido,” which doubled its high estimate to earn $3,125.
Woodstock artists were plentiful in this auction, including John Fenton, whose oil on canvas “Dido,” circa 1950s, performed well at $3,125 ($1/1,500).
The husband-wife artist couple of Alice (1918-2018) and Martin (1916-1987) Provensen, who together illustrated more than 40 children’s books, were also a fixture of the Woodstock art colony. Crossing the block was an untitled gouache on board signed with their names that performed well at $2,875.
Lucile Blanch (1895-1981), who was also a key member of the art colony in Woodstock and once dubbed the “Grand Dame” of it, was featured with a papier-mâché nativity scene she made in 1961, in homage to the opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors. Estimated at $800-$1,200, it performed well at $1,875. “It was one of our favorites in the sale, and we had no idea what it would bring because it was a one-of-a-kind item,” Goetz said.
Humor was a special and unusual focus in this auction: a collection of original ink drawings collected by New Yorker cartoonist Dana Fradon (1922-2019) was an important consignment from his estate. He and his wife, comic book illustrator Ramona Fradon (1926-2024), made their home in Woodstock for many years. Highlights from the estate included Canadian illustrator Richard Taylor’s (1902-1970) “Duet for Harps” that led the grouping at $2,625; Thomas Nast (1840-1902)was represented with “Let The Union Have One Union Law” that sold above estimate for $1,875. “We don’t usually handle cartoons. We were very pleased with how they performed,” Goetz said.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.jamescoxgallery.com or 845-679-7608.
