American Art in the Spotlight at Winter Antiques Show
- January 26, 2016 13:15
TEFAF board member and art collector Michel Cox Witmer was interviewed on FOX News about investment opportunities in American art displayed at the Winter Antiques Show, on through Jan. 31 at the Park Avenue Armory in New York.
Witmer pointed out three works on exhibit that he considered "undervalued" and worth collectors' notice: an abstract painting by Mark Tobey (about $15k), a Grandma Moses barn building scene (about $200k) and a small figural scene by Benjamin West (about $25k).
The Tobey was in keeping with the show's expanded offerings of mid-20th century art---and new this year, stretching to contemporary works---mixed within this stronghold of 18th/19th-century Americana and "best of the best" antiques.
Witmer pointed out that Tobey was a contemporary of Jackson Pollock, yet his prices are a fraction of the cost of America's most well-known Abstract Experssionists.
Likewise, Witmer sees Grandma Moses' art as a good buy, noting that her farm scene, from the booth of new exhibitor Galerie St. Etienne, was painted when the artist was 95. The work is "the best of Americana," said Witmer. Self-taught artist Moses' work in general, he says, "...should be many times the price."