Everard Auctions presents important fine and decorative art from Southern estates and collections, Oct. 29-31

Featured: Paintings by Clark Hulings, Fred Williams, Anthony Palliser, Johann Berthelsen; Latin American art; American weathervanes & folk art, Asian ceramics; antique and studio furniture

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Everard’s October 29-31 online-only auction offers collectors and interior-design aficionados a superlative selection of fine and decorative art from notable Southern estates and tastefully-curated collections. Originality, aesthetics and provenance are the watchwords seen throughout the 1,254 lots. Highlights include property from the Ira and Nancy T Koger Estate, fine American and English furniture; paintings by Latin American artists, Boston contemporary art from the collection of Bob Herron, folk art and weathervanes from a Hamptons-based collector; and works by premier Australian artists. 

Assigned an estimate of $60,000-$80,000, a rare circa-1890 gilded-copper Indian-figure weathervane is one of the auction’s star attractions. The swell-bodied standing figure in shown in a ribbed and scalloped costume with two cut sheet-copper feathers as a headdress, and holds a bow and arrow. Its height is 41 inches (74in inclusive of stand). An almost identical example was offered at Sotheby’s October 6, 2006 auction of Property from the Collection of Josephine & Walter Buhl Ford II and sold for $192,000. The stunning 74-inch-tall weathervane entrusted to Everard is part of a Bridgehampton, New York, collection of vanes, trade signs and folk art that highlights the auction’s opening session. 

Also estimated at $60,000-$80,000, an atmospheric oil-on-canvas painting by Clark Hulings (1922-2011) is titled Louisiana and has resided with the same family since its pre-1972 purchase from New York’s Grand Central Gallery. Hulings was born in Florida and raised in New Jersey. Over his lifetime, he resided in New York, Louisiana, and throughout Europe before settling in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1972. After pursuing an initial career as a portraitist in Louisiana and freelance illustrator in New York in the 1950s, Hulings turned his focus to easel painting and soon distinguished himself as an American master of his genre, with collectors, museums and corporations eager to acquire his pictures. The auction artwork, which depicts a cottage with people on the front porch and dogs and chickens in the front yard, exemplifies Huling’s ability to capture on canvas the simple pleasures of Southern rural life. 

Continuing the American folk theme is Dr Buz Halo, a paint-on-metal creation by Sam Doyle (SC, 1906-1985). Doyle’s paintings typically portray residents of the Sea Island community of St. Helena, S.C., as well as iconic historic and religious figures, and modern American pop icons. One of his frequent subjects, a St. Helena root doctor named “Dr. Buz,” is depicted in the eponymous painting to be auctioned on Day 1 with an estimate of $8,000-$12,000.

Fine art highlights also include works by Australian artists Fred Williams (1927-1982) and Sir Russell Drysdale (1912-1981). Williams’ Loxton Landscape beautifully interprets the artist’s understanding of the Australian outback’s moods and unique colors. Recognized as one of the 20th century’s most accomplished landscapists, Williams was the first Australian artist to hold a solo exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Loxton Landscape is a gouache-on-paper estimated at $30,000-$40,000. Another Australian art luminary is Sir Russell Drysdale (1912-1981), whose ink-on-paper work depicting a standing Aboriginal man has an auction estimate of $4,000-$6,000. Drysdale is considered one of the first Australian artists to explore with sensitivity the relationships between the landscape and indigenous people of Australia.

The auction includes six paintings of quintessential New York scenes by Johann Berthelsen (NY/CT/Denmark, 1883-1972). The largest of the works, an oil-on-canvas titled 5th Ave Looking South from 59th St (Nocturne), Oil on Canvas, leads the group with an estimate of $3,000-$5,000. A native of Denmark, Berthelsen came to America at the age of seven when his mother and siblings crossed the Atlantic, in 1890. Originally an opera singer and voice coach, Berthelsen turned to art after the stock market crash of 1929 put him out of business. Essentially self-taught, his natural talent as an artist won him widespread acclaim. His paintings were collected by many prominent figures of the 20th century. Today his work is held in the collections of the Hirshhorn Museum (Washington, DC) and many other institutions.

A large collection of Latin American paintings from the Estate of Enrique Manuel Arias (Alachua, Florida) is also featured in the auction. Arias worked in banking and, at the height of his career, was the chief executive officer for Latin America and the Caribbean at Barclays Bank in Miami. He was an expert in Latin American economic policy and played a key role in the rebuilding of his native Panama following the US invasion in 1989. Among the paintings in his collection are a large-scale oil-on-canvas still life by self-taught artist Miguel Florido (Cuba, b. 1980-), Still Life with Gourds, which is estimated at $4,000-$6,000; and a humorous 2004 work by Cuban artist Ruben Alpizar (Cuba b. 1965-), titled Windows with Figures, estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Alpízar graduated from the José Joaquín Tejada Provincial School of Visual Arts in Santiago de Cuba in 1984 and the Superior Institute of Art in Havana in 1989. Multiple solo exhibitions of his work have been mounted in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Spain. 

A stand-out furniture lot is a large mid-18th-century Swedish Rococo giltwood mirror with an auction estimate of $5,000-$8,000. The consignor purchased it at a Sotheby’s Fine French and Continental Furniture and Decorations sale in 1997. Other furniture highlights include an early-19th-century Kentucky secretary, $2,000-$3,000; and circa-1810 sugar chest, $400-$600. Both were formerly the property of Charles D Daniel Jr of Fernandina Beach, Florida.

Day 2 of the auction is notable for its variety of treasured pieces from the Ira and Nancy T. Koger Estate. There are excellent examples of Chinese ceramics, including a pair of blue and white “Aster” chargers, which are estimated at $1,200-$1,800. Also, a painting of a fish that was purchased as the work of Alfred Sisley (France, 1839-1899) comes with an unusual back story. A handwritten note, which is included with the lot, states that the painting is actually part of a larger Sisley work that was cut in two by a previous owner. The painting also retains a Christie’s label on verso and now comes to auction with a $2,000-$3,000 estimate. 

Also poised for success are several works by British artist Anthony Palliser, who is best known for his portraits of prominent figures and compelling Lowcountry scenes. Palliser lives in Paris but is a frequent visitor to Savannah and also Charleston, South Carolina. His large-scale portrait of James Lord – a fascinating man who lived with Picasso muse Dora Maar and wrote a biography of Giacometti – is estimated at $3,500-$5,000.

The auction’s closing session, on October 31, includes property from the collection of Bob Herron, an avid collector who has resided in Boston, Paris and Savannah. A striking image from his collection is photographer Peter Vanderwarker’s Type C print titled Near Marfa, Texas. A depiction of the famous “Prada Marfa” pop art installation located in remote West Texas, it carries an estimate of $2,500-$4,000. Bob Herron’s collection is also the source of an unusual pair of bronze snake-form candlesticks by studio furniture artist Judy Kensley McKie (Mass., b. 1944-). They are initial-signed and dated 2009 and each is numbered 2/8 under its base. The eye-catching serpentine duo stands 12¼ inches tall and is estimated at $9,000-$12,000. 

For the ceramics enthusiast, Everard suggests any of 14 works by Japanese American artist Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011). Toshiko is widely acknowledged as having been instrumental in establishing ceramics as a fine art. During her lifetime, her work was exhibited throughout the United States and Japan. In fact, a current traveling retrospective curated by the Isamu Noguchi Foundation showcases 200 ceramics, paintings, weavings and cast-bronze sculptures. The vessels in Everard’s auction were inherited by the consignor’s mother, a close friend and former student of Toshiko’s who acquired the pieces directly from the artist. 

Everard’s October 29-31 Fall Southern Estates Auction will start at 10 am EST on all three days of the series. Bid absentee or live online via Everard, LiveAuctioneers, Bidsquare or Invaluable. The public is invited to an October 22 preview reception from 5-7pm at Everard Auctions’ gallery, with additional previewing available October 23, 24 or 25, 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/.