Charleston Renaissance Art to Sell at Brunk Auctions This June

Between World War I and World War II, the city of Charleston, South Carolina experienced a cultural boom. The city had suffered economically in the aftermath of the American Civil War, and the early 20th century was a period for rebuilding and reimagining. Writers, designers, and especially visual artists organized in Charleston to depict the city favorably and elevate its profile. This period is now known as the Charleston Renaissance. 

A selection of American fine art, including Charleston Renaissance artworks by the likes of Elizabeth O’Neill Verner and Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, will soon be available with Brunk Auctions. The upcoming American & Southern Auction on June 27, 2024 includes over 180 lots of fine art, decorative art, furniture, and more. Here are some of the top lots from notable Charleston Renaissance artists. 

Elizabeth O’Neill Verner

Born in Charleston in 1883, Elizabeth O’Neill Verner studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Art in the early 1900s. She later returned to Charleston, married, and began painting full-time following her husband’s death in the 1920s. Verner used art to support her family and quickly attracted a following in Charleston and beyond. She worked in etchings and delicate pastels, favoring street scenes and portraits of everyday people. 

The upcoming Brunk Auctions event will feature Elizabeth O’Neill Verner’s Charleston Rooftop View, a pastel work on textured artist’s board (lot #591; estimate: USD 30,000 – $40,000). This undated work shows several Charleston buildings, complete with finely rendered balconies, awnings, and shingles. Leafy trees frame the composition. According to the consignor, this work was given to the consignor’s grandfather by his sister, Verner herself. It comes to the market for the first time this month. 

Also available from Elizabeth O’Neill Verner is a copy of Other Places, the artist’s 1946 collection of illustrations (lot #599; estimate: $200 – $400). In this work, Verner departed from her usual subject matter and instead depicted places other than Charleston, South Carolina. It is signed and inscribed by the artist. 

Alice Ravenel Huger Smith

Another titan of Charleston Renaissance art was Alice Ravenel Huger Smith. A native of that city, Smith was friends with Elizabeth O’Neill Verner and other leaders of the growing art movement. She was instrumental in founding several art clubs in Charleston and promoting its culture in the interwar period. Smith specialized in watercolor. She preferred to paint natural scenes from the Carolina Lowcountry, depicting marshes and trees with a nostalgic air. 

Available with Brunk Auctions this June is Alice Ravenel Huger Smith’s Flower Seller, a watercolor on paper piece (lot #592; estimate: $6,000 – $8,000). This work shows a woman walking while carrying baskets of flowers and holding a peeled banana. One basket rests on her head, overflowing with blooms. Like many of Smith’s portraits of people, this one sits at a slight remove, with an open background behind the subject. 

Beyond Charleston Renaissance art, the upcoming sale includes numerous items from Southern artists such as Lamar Dodd and William Aiken Walker. Particularly notable is Dodd’s The Wave, a 1949 oil on canvas painting (lot #608; estimate: $6,000 – $8,000). This darkly shaded piece will be sold to benefit the University of Georgia Foundation. Dodd was born in Fairburn, Georgia and studied with Ashcan School artists of the mid-20th century. He returned to the South to depict the region’s people and culture, eventually going on to teach students at the University of Georgia in Athens. 

Interested bidders can consider other fine artworks in this catalog, including examples from artists Stephen Scott Young, John George Brown, and Robert Kulicke. 

To view the complete auction catalog and register to bid in the American & Southern Auction, visit Bidsquare. Find additional coverage of this and other sales on Auction Daily.