The top lot of the auction was this Herman Maril painting of his own Provincetown studio, “Palette Corner,” 1975, that sold for $11,520 ($10/15,000).
Review by Andrea Valluzzo
PROVINCETOWN, MASS. — Featuring just under 150 lots, Bakker Auctions presented a compact but choice selection of fine art, mostly paintings from artists associated with the Provincetown Art Colony and/or in the Cape Cod, Mass., region for its October 17 auction.
“As a niche market, specializing in local art, both historic and contemporary, our clients’ tastes tend to stay the same. For the most part, they are looking to buy pieces by well-known Provincetown artists (i.e. John Dowd and John Whorf) or to buy attractive local scenes that capture the feel of the art colony,” said Spencer Keasey, director of Bakker Auctions. “A large portion of our client base are people who visit Provincetown once a year, so getting the opportunity to purchase a work that reminds them of the town or the Cape is why our auctions are special for them. Over the last 14 years, however, we have definitely seen the shift from collecting early Twentieth Century work to more midcentury.”
The auction performed well, and works are carefully chosen for inclusion. Each sale at Bakker typically presents 125 to 140 lots. Clearly, the gallery knows this market and its audience well, as most works landed within estimate.
The top lot overall was a work by Modernist Herman Maril, who was a university professor in Maryland but summered in Provincetown, Mass., yearly for decades after first visiting Cape Cod in 1934, becoming enchanted by its dunes, skies and fishing boats. He and his wife bought a former post office building to call their summer home, where he set up a studio. The oil on canvas painting on offer in this sale was his 1975 “Palette Corner,” which sold for $11,520.
Leading a selection of five paintings by John Dowd was “Beach Point Winter,” an oil on linen that realized $8,960 ($12/16,000).
“Herman Maril began his ascent in the art world when Duncan Phillips (The Phillips Collection) began to champion him. Soon after, Eleanor Roosevelt chose one of his paintings to hang in the White House,” Keasey added. “While he was born in Baltimore, he eventually purchased a home in Provincetown and became an important part of the art colony. His work is highly regarded, but ‘Palette Corner’ was even more special as it depicted Maril’s own studio.”
One of the most sought-after and contemporary artists associated with this region is John Dowd (b 1960), who was represented in this auction with five works. The selection was led “Beach Point Winter,” an oil on linen that attained $8,960, and the moody “Near Dawn,” which made $5,120.
Anne Packard (b 1933) has long been a popular local artist, but Keasey noted there has ben renewed interest in her work after this year’s release of Anne Packard: An Artist’s Resolve an award-winning documentary exploring how “a single mother of five becomes one of the greatest artists of her generation.” Two of Packard’s paintings crossed the block: “Dory,” a 1976 oil on canvas sold for $8,320 and “Lone Boat,” a diminutive oil on panel measuring 5 by 7 inches, brought $5,760.
This oil on canvas by Anne Packard, “Dory,” 1976, was an early work, fresh to the market, that sold for $8,320 ($8/12,000).
“‘Dory’ was one of the earliest Anne Packards to ever hit the auction market. The consignors purchased it from her directly 50 years ago,” Keasey said. “Because of its age, the painting was quite different than what most people think of as Packard’s traditional work. We were uncertain what the reaction would be for the piece because while her work is definitely in demand as seen by the result for ‘Lone Boat,’ it was so different.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. Bakker Auctions’ next auction will be in early March. For information, www.bakkerproject.com or 508-413-9758.
