The Home of Folk Art

-Alastair Bradley Martin and the Guennol Collection at Auction-

He was a passionate collector.  Mr. Alastair Bradley Martin’s collection will be sold at Christie’s in New York on September 29, 2010.  Read about the man and about just what makes his Guennol Collection so impressive.

CARVED, PAINTED AND POLYCHROM-DECORATED PINE TREE OF LIFE- Photo Credit Christie's

“The true collector, like the artist, is an impassioned creator.” - Alastair Bradley Martin

For most of his 94 years, Alastair Bradley Martin was justly described as a most passionate collector – astute, inspired and individual in his tastes. A predilection for collecting began with stamps, books, rifles and cars but swiftly expanded to embrace vast new horizons, and eventually became his life’s mission. For, as Martin said, ‘if a man owns a collection, the collection owns him’. The result of his devoted efforts continues to astound scholars, collectors, curators and dealers throughout the world. Read the full story

The Home of Folk Art

The American Flag as Folk Art

How could something so static that was designed by convention be folk art?  They all look the same and, in fact, are required to look a certain way – right? After President Taft on June 24, 1912 signed an executive order specifying the exact proportions and star configuration only to be amended by Eisenhower when two states were added to the Union, that is correct.   However, prior to 1912 the flag took on various shapes, configuration and most notably, star arrangements. Read the full story

The Home of Folk Art

The North Carolina Folk Art Society Visits The Home of Folk Art

Saturday, April 24th, we here at the Home of Folk Art were excited to have the North Carolina Folk Art Society stop in for a visit.  On their annual outing (this year to Wilmington, North Carolina) the North Carolina Folk Art Society visited a few key folk art spots in the city, including the Cameron Art Museum, Airlie Garden’s Minnie Evans Bottle Chapel, and with us to see and hear more about local visionary artist Minnie Evans.   Read the full story

The Home of Folk Art

Thomas Gray – The Golden Eye

Thomas Gray, collector since the age of 8, has shown what the scholarly collecting of what you love will reward not only the collector but those who are honored to purchase such a piece.  Brunk Auctions of Asheville had the on site sale of a lifetime – Thomas Gray’s that is.  Held on site at one of the most beautiful and historic places in North Carolina, Old Salem, was  an auction sure to be talked about for years to come.  Thoughtfully displayed in his restored historic home, live amongst for years, now part of auction lore and many lucky buyers personal collection!   While the sale was full of wonderful period furniture, porcelain, important prints (a rare Savannah engraving selling for $69,000), Delft and other period accessories, it was the folk art I would like to share.   Read the full story

The Home of Folk Art

Jim Linderman is a Folk Art collector who considers his collecting an art form.  He is also a man with some unique talents.  He’s an artist, an author, a self professed Americana iconoclast, and a pop-culture historian.  Combine all that with his passion for collecting historical photos, music, and objects and you start to get the picture.  By following these passions over the years and seeking his own unique place in art, music, and collecting – Mr. Linderman has reaped some nice rewards.  It has even landed him a Grammy nomination along the way.*
Read the full story

Howard Campbell, well known to many, passed away earlier this month.   Howard was a fabulous collector and one who wanted others to share in his love of this art form.   Howard was a member of the North Carolina Folk Art Society.    He was a lifelong collector of all forms of folk art – traditional, contemporary, anonymous, famous, spiritual and secular.   He did not discriminate.   He freely loaned his collection to museums for exhibition and the spread the joy of his passion.   For one auction, he donated a large portion to be sold to benefit the American Folk Art Museum in New York.   While we did not know him personally, his friends speak of him with great admiration and he will be missed.   His passion for collecting and desire to share it with others will live on forever.   His family is in our prayers.

Thanks to Matt Lippa from Artisans for the content information.

The Home of Folk Art

The Home of Folk Art

Museum of Everything Exhibit

The words London, museum, and old seemingly go together in my book.  However, that is not the case with the new, one of a kind, Museum of Everything.  It is London’s first, yes FIRST, outsider art museum.  And, the Britains are loving it!  It has lured in over twenty thousand visitors in the past three months!  I am fairly certain the free tea and biscuits and movie screenings they offer on the weekends don’t hurt either.  If you mistakenly think that because it is the first of it’s kind that it is an inferior product, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Boasting a who’s who of contributors including Thelma Golden, Edward Ruscha, David Byrne, Terry Winters, and Pete Townshend to name only a few.  This exhibition carries some serious power behind the scenes.  It has also been said the collection of artists displayed, in what is properly titled Exhibition #1, is giving the American Folk Art Museum a run for it’s money – not a small feat.  Read the full story

The Home of Folk Art

Appalachian Splint Baskets by Ken Farmer

Appalachian Splint Basket

Most of us see baskets everyday and never question their use, origin or value. Think about it the next time a gift arrives from the florist in a wicker or reed basket or when you gather the laundry or a bushel of apples. Read the full story