Back In Black

This oil on canvas painting from the Pantages Portfolio of a woman holding a pet bird is certainly a bit cagey! She's dressed in black, the room is furnished with black table, chair, table settings, and birdcage. Only the tablecloth, fruit basket, and the tiny yellow moon in the background add a spot of color to this pensive piece. What do you think is on her mind?

This work is by artist Bernard Rosenquit (1922-1991) who was born in Romania but grew up in New York City. He is best known for his oil paintings and woodcuts. He studied art in the United States and France, attending the Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts, the Institute of Art and Archeology at the Sorbonne, the Brooklyn Museum School of Fine Art, the Art Students League, and Atelier 17. He had several solo exhibits over his career, which ended abruptly when he was killed in a car accident at age 68. Rosenquit's work is in the permanent collections of important institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Fine Art, the New York Public Library, the Smithsonian Institution, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and many others.

Right Brain Frenzy

"So people have been asking, "What is happening behind the scenes with this collection?" Judy has been working around the clock studying, researching, measuring, photographing, cataloging and entering each example into our inventory system. It's a labor of love, and passion, at the same time.

Here is a sampling of what Judy has been working on the last few days. These three pictures here truly represent the eclectic nature of the collection. Every time I walk into Judy's office, I see images for the first time. This is really exciting, and I find myself eager and delighted each time I find myself in her work space.

Every picture is handled with TLC as it is prepped for the sale. Good thing Judy loves rolling around in art, though by days end she has a real right brain high going on. We are being extremely careful with authentication and have discovered some fakes as well as some very positive surprises. We are so very lucky to have Judy and her rare set of talents working so diligently for this collection." - Peter Smith