Summer 2015 Preview

Summer 8 www.antiquesandfineart.com WK WK &HQWXU\ $PHULFDQ 6FXOSWXUH &211(5 526(1.5$1= / / & ‡ -8/(6 %$67,(1Ħ/(3$*( &DVW LURQ HOHFWURSODWH ZLWK EURQ]H SDWLQD RQ 6WDQIRUG:KLWH ² VW\OH ZRRG IUDPH ö [ 3 »Ƌ LQFKHV ⅝ [ õ LQFKHV ĪLQFO IUDPHī 6LJQHG $XJXVWXV 6DLQW *DXGHQV )HFLW 8QPDUNHG EXW PDGH E\ 0DJHH )XUQDFH &RPSDQ\ RI &KHOVHD 0DVVDFKXVHWWV ,QVFULEHG -XOHV %DVWLHQ /HSDJH $HWDWLV ;;;, 3DULV 0'&&&/;;; 7KH )UHQFK SDLQWHU -XOHV %DVWLHQĥ/HSDJH Ī ĥ ī KDG D EULHI EXW PHPRUDEOH FDUHHU DV DQ DFDGHPLF SDLQWHU G\LQJ IRXU \HDUV DIWHU 6DLQWĥ*DXGHQV PRGHOHG WKLV SRUWUDLW $XJXVWXV 6DLQWĥ*DXGHQV Ī ĥ ī (DVW WK 6WUHHW 1< Ī ī ĥ ZZZFUVFXOSWXUH FRP LQIR#FUVFXOSWXUH FRP E\ DSSRLQWPHQW ne of the joys of my position is reading about people in history who have made a difference through their passionate convictions. One such individual, Paul Durand-Ruel (1831–1922), is brought to light by Jennifer Thompson, an associate curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Her article (pages 128–137) highlights the Parisian art dealer’s intense belief in the work of the French Impressionist painters while they were still struggling for recognition and his vital role in promoting those artists in America. His conviction earned him such warm accolades as that of Claude Monet, who, looking back, at age eighty-three, said, “We owe him everything.” Thomas Hart Benton (1889–1975) was driven by passion too— his ambition to make his mark on the American art scene. In her article on Benton (pages 146–153), Peabody Essex Museum curator Austen Barron Bailly writes about Benton’s need to be recognized in the art world, and how, through his experiences with the Hollywood approach to cinematic storytelling, he found a way to create the epic works for which he became so well known. Some artists create remarkable works that continue to be appreciated by each new generation, and yet their names are long forgotten. Jay Stiefel writes about the work of one such anonymous craftsman who designed and implemented remarkable inlays, circa 1790–1800, related to the circus (pages 138– 145), one of the most popular forms of entertainment at the time. Stiefel points to the delicate sensibilities evident in this craftsman’s work. It is remarkable for “the diversity of its motifs and symbols and in the calligraphic refinement, dynamism, minuteness, and sheer quantity of its inlay,” which, Stiefel maintains, surpasses that seen on other inlaid furniture from the same period in the same area of Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania. Such a claim may seem hyperbolic, but the chests as illustrated in this article, are proof that Stiefel’s claims ring true. I hope you will enjoy the articles within and gain your own inspiration from them. Thank you, Johanna McBrien Founding editor Photography by Ellen McDermott FROM THE EDIT O R O