We start out this new year thinking about how sales of art are being effected by conditions in the marketplace. My father, Arthur Singer ( 1917-1990 ), left me some wonderful Japanese prints in his will, and now the time has come to see if they will sell.
Years ago, my dad bought many collectible prints through the Ronin Gallery in New York City, so we drove down there to meet Roni Neuer who has been the owner and director there for many years.
Hiroshige's " Kanbara " (1833 ) print on paper
Hopefully, we will find a buyer for our Hiroshige print which is also called "Evening Snow", a real classic still in fine condition. The Ronin Gallery is located near the New York Public Library in a building once known as the Engineer's Club, Bryant Park Place. Along with major Japanese prints, they have wonderful pieces of furniture by George Nakashima ( 1905-1990 ). Nakashima was a greatly respected woodworker and architect.
Ronin Gallery, 32 West 40th Street, NYC
So we left a couple of prints on consignment and hope that they inspire some collectors! Later that same Tuesday, we were in Brooklyn, so we thought that we would go see some exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum near our old home in Park Slope. No luck - the museum was closed, and we understand that the Brooklyn Museum is having some financial difficulties! We won't make that mistake again....
Back upstate, after our drive home, we made our way over to The Memorial Art Gallery to see their new show of Alma Thomas. After we went inside, first there is an installation of the video artist Nam June Paik. ( 1932 -2006 ) which includes this curious piece below:
Nam June Paik, South Korean artist in the collection at MAG
We found that The Memorial Art Gallery is making much more of an effort to include artists who were overlooked in the past, maybe because of bias in the marketplace. Their exhibitions now include many more artists who are women and indigenous tribal peoples from all over the country. I am glad that this museum is working on this and making an effort to recognize their achievements! I also know that this might come too late for those artists who do not find an audience during their lifetimes!
Luckily, Alma Thomas ( 1891-1978 ) did find an audience for her artwork, and she had success in showing her paintings in places like the Whitney Museum in Manhattan and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. Here at The MAG, her new show is called "Composing Color" and features a set of abstractions which are inspired by the music she liked and the scenes of nature that she loved so.
Alma Thomas ( 1891-1978 ) at The Memorial Art Gallery
Rochester, NY
Read the wall label and you find out that Alma Thomas was the first art student to win a degree from Howard University; she then went on to teach art herself for more than 30 years. Her paintings on view at The MAG feature bold color and intense patterns.
Alma Thomas at The MAG
Her work serves as an inspiration and her paintings are beautiful in their applications of paint when you walk up close to try and understand how she accomplished this kind of impact. Take some time to look around and this experience will register real pleasure. ( but look closely ! ).
