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Hemphill Collection Solidifies Auction

by Marty Steiner

The anticipation for the November 10, 2001, auction at Slotin Folk Art Auction in Buford, Georgia, was heightened by the unknown, following the terrorist attacks on September 11 and the passing of artist Rev. Howard Finster on October 22. In addition, there were pieces from the Herbert Waide Hemphill Jr. estate that made otherwise typical offerings more desirable. How would these factors be reflected in the prices realized?

Herbert W. Hemphill was a founder of the American Folk Art Museum and served as its first curator. He authored a number of books, including Twentieth-Century American Folk Art and Artists. Portions of his collection toured with exhibits seen at 24 museums. Hemphill's many awards included the first Award of Distinction from the Folk Art Society of America and the James Smithson Society Founder Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. Bequeathing his collection to the Smithsonian was only natural, since Hemphill had earlier donated a number of items to them.

Steve Slotin prefaced the sale with some comments about why the Hemphill collection was being sold in Buford through him. The Smithsonian had contacted individuals active in the folk art market to determine possible venues for the deaccessioning of the portion of the Hemphill collection that it could not keep. Hemphill had requested that the collection be sold in the Southeast, if possible, since most of the works had originated and had been acquired there. Slotin thanked the collectors, galleries, and museums for their support by responding positively to the Smithsonian about the Slotin sales environment from the perspective of both buyer and seller.

Bill Traylor's Woman with Patterned Skirt and Umbrella met expectations by bringing $13,200 (including buyer's premium). The doomsayers who predicted soft sales in this recession appeared to have been wrong. There was, however, an undercurrent of speculation about what might have been if the things had sold in a financially stronger environment.

William Edmonson's carved stone Dove, circa 1930, opened at $12,000 and was actively bid to $24,750 (est. $10,000/ 15,000). It sold to an on-site bidder who bid against an aggressive phone bidder.

Slotin operated 11 phone stations for this sale, anticipating unusually heavy phone bidding activity from those who declined to travel. These phones stayed busy throughout the sale.

One predictable thing about Slotin's sales is the sequence of lots by type of object. Canes and walking sticks opened the sale. The only excitement among these were the Hemphill collection pieces. Especially notable was a Ralph Buckwalter cane with a topless woman handle. The $200 high estimate was shattered with an $825 sale and a round of applause. In similar fashion, a Denzil Goodpaster cane with a "Gator and Spotted Lion Eating Woman," also ex-Hemphill, brought $1210. This cane was illustrated in Ricco and Maresca's American Primitive.

Among the 12 fabric offerings, hooked rugs were strong. This is on the heels of a similar performance in the previous Slotin sale. Fine examples in excellent condition continue to rise in price.

Anonymous signs drew minimal interest and prices. A group of tramp art frames and one box served to remind bidders of the fine examples in the previous Slotin sale. None drew high bids, although there were some very interesting pieces.

Pottery was a different story. The 57 lots ranged from mini jugs (1 1/2 inches tall) at $55 to an Owl by Arie Meaders for $5500. All pottery came from the Hemphill collection. The majority of the pots were by anonymous makers, but each example exhibited excellence in form, glaze, or both.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution article on October 4, 1994, had described Rev. Howard Finster as "Georgia's most famous artist." This was an understatement, even at that time. Many people define contemporary folk art by Finster. The sheer volume of his work combined with the many forms make it almost impossible to attend any serious folk art show or sale without encountering a Howard Finster piece.

This sale brought examples of almost every Finster form. A large paint on board, Vision of George Washington, with wood-burned frame also by Finster, sold for $9350. It had been estimated at $5000/10,000. Another paint on board, The Rock That is Higher Than i, executed prior to the 1976 Finster numbering system, brought $6765. Among the more unusual forms were a beaded 34 inches tower, This Life Shall Fade Away, for $2090; a four-paneled painted glass box from the Hemphill collection for $2310; and a painted glass box with melted pot metal forms, Garding [sic] Angels of the Presus [sic] Stone, for $4400. A painted plastic milk jug, Self Portrait, from the late 1970's, brought $1320.

Finster-painted cutouts included a numbered and dated Gabriel Angel with Tablet that drew $2860. Other cutouts included Young Abraham Lincoln that brought $6600 with applause from the attendees, and a 1986 Self Portrait for $3960. A 9 inches x 8 1/2 inches enamel on board, Unknown Language, by Finster sold to a phone bidder for $1540 (est. $400/600), due in large part to Hemphill provenance and having been previously exhibited at the Philadelphia Art Alliance.

One particularly unusual Finster lot was a group of six painted and burned frame sample types, fashioned into a square panel, accompanied by a cement with found objects oval face sculpture. This lot sold for $660.

Examples of almost every important artist were offered. A Joseph Yoakum colored pencil and pen on paper, Syrian Desert, brought a solid $8800. Five Clementine Hunter lots were sold, including two that sold slightly below expectations. There were three Sam Doyle works, including Dr. in paint on tin from the Rosenak collection that brought $4290 (est. $5000/10,000). Three works by Sister Gertrude Morgan all were strong and met estimates, bringing $2860 to $4290.

One subtle pattern emerged. Almost every piece with a patriotic theme did better than other offered works by the same artist. For example, a B.F. Perkins depiction of Statue of Liberty doubled its high estimate, but it was in a group of five others that only met or slightly exceeded their estimates. Similar patterns were seen with other artists.

There were 12 Jack Savitsky lots offered, all meeting or exceeding their expectations. It was the same for David Butler (four out of five), Juanita Rogers (two out of three), and R.A. Miller (all five lots).

What about bargains? Five dollars bought a framed marker on paper pointillist portrait of Herbert W. Hemphill by Alan Magerus. Two Hemphill paintings, his 1948 Portrait of a Young Man and his Nude Female Torso, both with faults, sold for $27.50 and $82.50 respectively. More recognized artists' works also were available to buyers of modest means. For example, two Rudy Bostic oil on cardboard examples sold for under $100 each.

There was a second collection being sold within this sale. The Florida Folk Art Museum (Arnold Fuchs) offered 51 lots. These items included works by Harry Lieberman, Jack Savitsky, Old Ironside Pry, Justin McCarthy, Sterling and Dorothy Strauser, Vestie Davis, Victor Joseph Gatto, and a group of Haitian and Bali paintings.

Arnold Fuchs, friend to the Strausers, among others, had built a collection shown in the Ft. Lauderdale area at the Florida Folk Art Museum. Upon Fuchs's passing about ten years ago, everything was put into storage. Fuchs's son contacted Slotin to deaccession the collection. Look for more of this collection in future Slotin sales.

How did the Smithsonian do? Some 400 lots generated over $200,000 for the Herbert Waide Hemphill Jr. Folk Art Fund.

This sale featured primarily later 20th-century works in the Hemphill collection. On May 4, another 750 lots, primarily Hemphill material from the 19th and early 20th centuries, will go on the block. Look for items not ordinarily seen at Slotin sales. Anonymous works, including tramp art furniture, embroidery, grave markers, whirligigs, and carvings, will be present, as well as the usual mix of canes, pottery, and two-dimensional works.

For further information, contact Slotin Folk Art Auction at (770) 932-1000; Web site (www.slotinfolkart.com).