Show Stopper

Pull up a chair and check out this delightful pencil on paper drawing of a 1920's era audience watching a performance in the distance. Each person comes to life with just a few pencil strokes and shading. The woman wearing the wide brimmed hat and holding a fan looks particularly engaged by what she sees. This crowd-pleaser by artist Jerome Myers is another fantastic example from the Pantages Portfolio, which goes on sale to the public on Friday, September 28, 2018.

Jerome Myers (1867-1940) was born in Virginia and was one of five children. He moved to New York City in 1886 and started his art career as a scene painter while at the same time attending evening art classes at Cooper Union and the Art Students League. A few years later he started working in the art department of the New York Tribune. His career really took off when his colleague Edward Adam Kramer introduced his work to the art dealer William Macbeth. Myers became known for his urban scenes and landscapes, and his ability to capture the magic and details of everyday street life across cultures. Myers won numerous prestigious awards, including the Altman Prize (twice), the National Academy's Carnegie Prize, and the Isidor Medal. His work is part of the permanent collection or has been shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City,  among many others.

A Slice Of The Big Apple

Just like New York City itself, there are so many things to see in this fabulous painting, entitled "Lower Manhattan." The energy and vitality of the city are evident at every perspective presented in this work. This gouache on paper was painted in 1941 by artist Ben Benn.

Ben Benn (1884 - 1983) was born Benjamin Rosenberg in what is now southwest Ukraine. He moved at an early age with his family to the United States to escape religious persecution. He attended the National Academy of Design and would go on to participate in the Forum Exhibition of 1916 and the first annual exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists in 1917. His first solo show was held at J.B. Newmann’s New Art Circle gallery in 1925. His painting style varied over time and included cubism and abstract expressionism. Benn's works are featured in many fine institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney, Hirshhorn Museum, and the Kreuller Collection in the Hague.

Cat-aloging With Friends

"So here's a snapshot of some of the daily fun and surprises that the Pantages Portfolio project brings. I am sure nothing like this will ever happen to me again. So to relish this time, I make sure to wade through Judy's studio once in awhile to enjoy the images that I see often for the first time. If you are going to surround yourself in something, let it be art!  

Here you can see Judy examining a joyous (and musical) example of African-American themed art.  I'm not sure of the artist, but I am sure I adore the work! Jim Pantages has a great eye for this category of art, and you can check out other fine African American paintings from his collection in our themed photo gallery.  But if you look closely here, and above, Judy is also consulting our resident feline expert, Lucy, about her impressions of the piece.  

Lucy is also the official Pantages Portfolio keyboard warmer, and measuring tape keeper.  And no one could do it better." - Peter Smith

Two For One, or, Frustrating and Fabulous

"You have already heard me say this a few times already, but our collector James Pantages has an incredible eye for art. He also has a kind of innate sort of brilliance art lovers can only dream about. Mr. Pantages always bought the art and not the artist. He could not care less who created the work; if the image did not speak to him he simply moved along.

So here we go again with another anonymous collection highlight. This early midcentury two-sided oil on board painting is a prime example of a "yet to be figured out" unknown talent. Who paints something this amazing and doesn’t sign it? Personally, this makes me crazy, mostly because I love it so much and want to fill in the blanks. So often just knowing who created the work helps to explain subtleties about the picture that may not be so obvious. My friend and art expert Colleen Fesko and I agree it is so far one of our favorites. If anybody has thoughts on who painted this superb abstract please let us know." - Peter Smith