NHAA art auction begins Feb. 18
PORTSMOUTH – The New Hampshire Art Association will be holding an auction of 75 pieces from its permanent collection from over the past 40 years, with bidding starting Friday, Feb. 18.
Most of the works are from former members of NHAA, and some current members’ works are also included. It is a fundraiser for the organization, the oldest art association in the state founded in 1940.
Auction pieces will be viewable in the NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire, starting Wednesday, Feb. 16, with auction bidding starting Friday, Feb. 18. All bidding will be done online through Autrica. There will be a link to the online auction on the NHAA website’s homepage at www.nhartassociation.org.
“Over the years NHAA has been home to some very talented artists and we are pleased to be able to offer some of their pieces to the public at very reasonable prices,” said NHAA Board President Renee Giffroy. “The funds raised will help NHAA continue to offer support to artists now and as they grow their careers in the future.”
Two notable artists featured in the auction are Sigmund Abeles and Susan Stetson.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Abeles received a scholarship in 1957 to study at Columbia University where he received his Master of Fine Art in Painting in just one year.
During his first 20 years as an artist, Abeles mostly worked in black and white etchings, drawings and sculpture. Color was reintroduced into his works when he discovered pastel which was an extension of his drawings beginning in 1979. The year 1965 was Abeles' strongest New York art world year as a recognized artist there. He was included in that year’s Whitney Annual which was devoted to his prints and sculpture. Then the Museum of Modern Art bought his etching, “Self Portrait with Cats.” That same year, the National Institute of Arts and Letters awarded Abeles a grant and honor.
Stetson, a longtime NHAA member artist, studied art at the University of New Hampshire and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Rivier College. She has studied with numerous artists in the Seacoast area and at the Maine College of Art.
Stetson used oil and pastel to paint in an impressionist, realist manner. Her plein air coastal landscapes reflect her view of the contrast in light and shadow, shapes and angles of reflection found in the coastal environment that provided the inspiration for her compositions.
Stetson continued to paint from her studio in New Castle until her passing in 2021.
All pieces will be sold as is. Bidding closes at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26. Purchased pieces must be picked up on Sunday, Feb. 27 or Monday, Feb. 28 at the latest.
There will also be a “buy now” price if a person wants to purchase the piece immediately.
“We encourage the public to come take a look at the pieces in person in the gallery, then place their bids online,” Giffroy said. “The beauty of our online system is that a bidder will be notified online if they are outbid, providing them an opportunity to place another bid without coming back into the gallery.”
GO & DO
What: N.H. Art Association’s Permanent Collection Auction
Where: Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth
When: Pieces will be on view beginning Wednesday, Feb. 16, and the online bidding opens Friday, Feb. 18, and closes at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26. There will be a link to the online auction on the NHAA website’s homepage at www.nhartassociation.org.
Gallery hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m. (Note: The City of Portsmouth has an indoor mask protocol in effect.)
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH Art Association art auction begins Feb. 18
