PORTLAND — At its annual auction of American and European art on Friday night, Barridoff Galleries is offering at least 19 paintings by major American artists that were previously unrecorded or whose whereabouts were unknown for decades, according to gallery director Rob Elowitch.
They include a 1914 oil-on-canvas impressionist painting by Reynold Beals, titled “Ivy League Rowing Regatta, Poughkeepsie, N Y, Columbia Boat Club Wins, 1914.”
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The painting was wrapped and hidden under a bed since 1981, and Barridoff estimates its value at $80,000 to $120,000.
A Thomas Birch oil, “Marine View,” also is available, with a selling price estimated at $40,000 to $60,000. The artist was unknown until the painting was cleaned and the inititals “TB” emerged.
Friday’s auction remains a highlight of the summer art scene in Maine. It is set to begin at 6 p.m. at Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring St., Portland.
People interested in bidding or just want to look it over may preview the paintings from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday or 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
The auction features hundreds of paintings and sculpture, including work by Eva Hesse, Kenneth Noland, Fairfield Porter, Harrison Bird Brown, John James Audubon, John LaFarge, James Fitzgerald, Stephen Etnier, Bernard Langlais, Pablo Picasso, Carl Sprinchorn and many more.
The rediscovered works provide the theme of this year’s auction, Elowitch said.
Two untouched paintings came out of a closet in South Portland this past winter. Both had been appraised as without value, because the appraiser could not determine the artists’ names.
Further research revealed one of the pictures was made by the impressionist Paul Cornoyer, a view of Madison Square Park at Christmas. The other, by George Luks, also is of a New York City park. The Cornoyer is expected to fetch $30,000 to $50,000, while the Luks is estimated at $12,000 to $18,000.
Perhaps the most interest-ing work available is “The Letter” by Leon Kroll. It is an image of a woman with her children, reading a letter on the steps of the family home. It was likely painted in the 1930s or 1940s, when Kroll spent time in Maine, and the ocean setting in the background suggests a location in Maine. Its value is estimated at $40,000 to $60,000, Elowitch said.
For more information, go online to www.barridoff.com.
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