Everard Auctions presents fine and decorative art from distinguished Southern estates and collections, Feb. 24-26

Featured: John Wesley pop art painting, art from Estate of Arthur B Kouwenhoven Jr of design firm Jansen Inc (NY); 1971 Baldessari litho, GIA 5.45ct ruby & diamond ring, Nakashima table, Asian art

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Everard’s February 24-26 auction of fine and decorative art from distinguished Southern estates and collections is headlined by premier works from the Estate of Arthur Bennett Kouwenhoven Jr, with highlights that include East Village art from the important creative period that spanned the 1960s through 1980s. Other auction categories of special note include elegant American furniture, photography, Southwestern art including Acoma pottery; Chinese embroidered textiles, and fine jewelry, watches and luxury goods. 

Leading the carefully-curated three-day offering is the exceptional collection of fine and decorative art from the Kouwenhoven estate. An avid collector and supporter of working artists for most of his life, Mr Kouwenhoven was with the legendary design firm Jansen Inc, New York (affiliate of Maison Jansen, Paris), where his client list included the Kennedy White House. A respected professional, his work afforded him privileged entrée into the living and working spaces of Manhattan’s elite. At the same time, he moved with ease within the avant-garde circles of the city’s East Village at a time when its reputation as a wellspring for artistic innovation was attracting international acclaim. In 1978, Mr Kouwenhoven began living part-time in Savannah, Georgia, where he continued to collect and support emerging artists until his passing in 2025.

At the forefront of the Kouwenhoven estate art is a large-scale painting, Floating Pig, by pop artist John Wesley (1928-2022). Wesley lived and worked primarily in his native California before moving to New York, where his flat pop style was readily embraced. He would later be awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. Floating Pig was purchased from the artist through Arden K Anderson and, prior to its acquisition, was included in the 1967 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting at the Whitney Museum of American Art (#150 on Page 13 of the exhibition catalog). The artwork is entered in Everard’s auction with a $60,000-$80,000 estimate.  

The Kouwenhoven estate features several paintings and prints by Mario Yrisarry, including a large multicolored checkered abstract painting titled Kirala which is estimated at $2,500-$4,000. Yrisarry was born in 1933 in the Philippines but moved to New York with his family shortly after World War II. He is known for his bright, abstract and geometric style, using stencils and sprayed acrylic paint to create hard edges and clean lines. Yrisarry’s work was exhibited in the Whitney Museum of American Art’s 1973 show “Recent Acquisitions.” He concluded his painting career in 1977. 

The estate also features 25 works by noted Savannah artist Paul Goadby Stone (GA/NC/MA, 1928-1976), who is known for his drawings, pastels and watercolors of male figures, nudes, and landscapes. Born in North Carolina, Stone attended Phillips Academy at Andover (MA) and later, Harvard University. He settled in Savannah in 1957 and lived and worked there until his early death at the age of 48. 

Four graphite studies and two photographs by Paul Cadmus will be auctioned. Cadmus was born in upper Manhattan and is best remembered for his vivid and charged figurative works. He received numerous honors. In 1974 he was elected to the American Institute of Arts and Letters and, in 1979, to the National Academy of Design. In 1981 three museums organized his first retrospective. A dynamic graphite sketch of a sailor is offered by Everard with an estimate of $1,000-$2,000. 

The centerpiece of the furniture category is a remarkable George Nakashima (American, 1905-1990) black walnut slab coffee table created under commission of the Klavan family. This treasure from the Kouwenhoven estate was purchased in 1993 from Fifty/50, NYC, and is estimated at $10,000-$15,000. The estate collection also includes Chinese jade and bronzes, and sumptuous Cartier gold boxes, some of them jeweled. 

Day 2 features a wide selection of fine and decorative art. Of particular interest is a collection of photographs consigned by Barron Rachman, who was the assistant to photographer Louis Stettner from 1988-90 and then a freelance darkroom assistant to Kelton Labs in NYC.  He assisted in printing works by Helen Levitt, Lillian Bassman, Danny Lyon and Louis Stettner, all of which are included in the auction. Lillian Bassman’s Wonders of Water from Harper’s Bazaar, 1959, reflects her signature style that captured dreamy black-and-white images of graceful models through darkroom experimentation. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. 

A rare and important lithograph by John Baldessari (CA, 1931-2020), I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art, printed 1971 by the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, carries a $40,000-$60,000 estimate. In 1971, the Canadian college invited Baldessari to exhibit his work but did not have the funds to cover the artist’s travel expenses. In a brilliant move, Baldessari proposed that the art students act as his surrogates and write “I will not make any more boring art” on the gallery walls for the duration of the exhibition. The message expressed the artist’s dissatisfaction with the limitations of traditional painting and the system of art education at the time. Baldessari also sent a signed, handwritten page of the same phrase, from which the students produced 50 prints and a single documented proof.

Beautiful Southwestern paintings include a dynamic expressionistic mountain landscape by Robert Daughters (NM/AZ, 1929-2013), $6,000-$8,000; and a still life by Bror Nordfeldt (NM, 1878-1955), $3,000-$5,000. Both are from a sizable grouping consigned by an avid collector who patronized high-quality galleries in Santa Fe. Their pottery collection was the source of two four-color pottery jars, one attributed to Trinidad Gachupino Medina (1884-1969) who was known for her dynamic pottery vessels with avian and geometric designs. A large Medina jar is estimated at $6,000-$8,000.  

Another fine art highlight is Henry Farny’s (France/USA, 1847-1916) gouache on silk titled Snow Cap Mountains with Deer. Created in 1893 and restored in 1980 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this stunning work has a $5,000-$10,000 auction estimate.  

The auction also features a large selection of fine rugs and carpets. A luxe antique Heriz carpet, 17ft 8in by 12ft 10in, is expected to roll up a winning bid of $3,000-$5,000.

Day three of the auction includes a collection of fine Chinese textiles, including a 19th-century Chinese court robe of blue silk with gold-thread embroidery. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. A large group of fine jewelry, watches, fashion and luxury goods will add sparkle and style to the closing session, as well. The star of the group is a platinum ring set with an untreated 5.45ct Burmese ruby encircled by a halo of diamonds weighing 1.03cts. Accompanied by a GIA certificate, the 7.7g ring is estimated at $15,000-$25,000.

Everard’s February 24-26, 2026 auction will start each day at 10am EST. Bid absentee or live online via Everard, LiveAuctioneers, Bidsquare or Invaluable. The public is invited to a February 17 preview reception from 5-7pm at Everard Auctions’ gallery. Previewing is also February 18-21, or by appointment. For more information on any item in the auction, call 912-231-1376 or email [email protected]. Everard is located at 2436 Waters Ave., Savannah, GA 31404. Online: http://www.everard.com/.