Mystery painting donated to BLC
Feb. 5—One of Bethany Lutheran College's recent art acquisitions is being displayed on campus in Ylivisaker Fine Arts Center's balcony gallery.
"Part of the reason I have the painting on view is that it might be seen by people who know its history," said Jason Jaspersen, an associate professor who coordinates the center's exhibits.
"That's a good idea," said Bob Singelstad, the North Mankato man who donated the seascape depicting a boat with a red sail.
Singelstad, 95, gave his beloved artwork-without-provenance to BLC last year. However; the long time supporter of the private college has not given up on looking for clues about the painting that once hung above his fireplace. For more than five years, he's been seeking answers about the 1884 oil painting's journey from Scandinavia to Minnesota.
His quest began shortly after he bought the framed work for $175 from the "brown tag" section of The Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Center. The scene of a castle standing along a fjord reminded Singelstad of trips he and his wife, Deloris, have made to Norway, the native land of their ancestors.
"I really like the colors and the frame. There's two little figures in it and they are wearing knickers. I also like it shows a fishing vessel with its mast down," Singelstad told The Free Press in 2017.
Whoever gave the framed canvas to the thrift store had attached a one-word note on a small piece of paper: "Norwegian." The thrift store had no documentation (provenance) listing the painting's ownership history.
When museum curators acquire new art, they spend lots of time researching its ownership and when it exchanged hands. Singelstad has also been dedicated in his search.
His close examination of the back of the canvas resulted in the discovery of faint handwriting, that when deciphered, revealed the name of the person who created the painting "Betzy Akersloot-Berg."
Akersloot-Berg was a Norwegian-born seascape and landscape painter who spent most of her career on a small island in Friesland, a province in the Netherlands. She died Dec. 18, 1922.
"When you get something like this, you like to know who did it," said Singelstad, who was pleased with solving one clue in his investigation.
The next step, he said, was to ask for help. In an attempt to reach someone who will fill in some details, Singelstad placed an ad in a local shopper.
The results were limited.
"I believe it had come from a place somewhere between Sixth Street and Ninth Street," Singelstad said Friday.
A good time for anyone who is curious about the painting to stop by Ylivisaker Fine Arts Center for public reception will be 7-9 p.m. Thursday evening. The event marks the opening of a exhibit of ceramic works in the center's gallery space.
The Akersloot-Berg will be on view above the new show.
Jaspersen said the painting is of interest because it's a historical artifact.
The college and the artist's connections with Norway also adds relevance of the painting; however, it's probably not an extremely valuable work, he said.
Jaspersen said a good cleaning by an expert would brighten the colors in the canvas and that would have a pleasing effect; however, the Akersloot-Berg painting is probably not her masterpiece.
The seascape is characteristic of other paintings by Norwegians, Jaspersen said.
"Generally, there's a freshness in Scandinavian artwork," he said.
Jaspersen also accepted several works on paper from Singelstad that may have more value than the donated painting. The works were created by his distant cousin, Lloyd Herfindahl.
Herfindahl was a prolific artist who lived in Albert Lea. His murals are on display for the public to view at several locations in that city and his sketches and paintings are in the permanent collections of several museums and galleries in France, Belgium and Great Britain.
