LECTURES
ART HISTORY
The Art and Life of Georgia O’Keeffe
1 hour; Power Point
Georgia O’Keeffe is an especially familiar and beloved American artist. Although she is most often known as a fiercely independent woman who specialized in painting large images of flowers, her life and art were complex and full of contradictions. Learn about her relationship with Alfred Stieglitz and the intricacies of her very long career.
The Art and Life of Marc Chagall
1 hour; Power Point
Marc Chagall is one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century. Born in Russia but working primarily in France, he synthesized memories of his Jewish with the prevailing modern themes and styles of the 20th century. He is widely considered to be the most original and influential Jewish artist of all times.
Five French Still Life Painters
30 minutes; Power Point
Dutch painters invented the still life as an independent genre in the 17th century. Within 100 years, French artists, inspired by their neighbors to the north, began to create their own unique versions of the form. They continued to dominate the field into the early 20th century. See examples by Chardin, Cezanne, Matisse, Braque, and Soutine.
Filette a la Corbeille Fleurie, 1905, Pablo Picasso: The History of One Painting
30 minutes; Power Point
Picasso created Filette a la Corbeille Fleurie in 1905, before he had attained fame and fortune. Upon completion, he sold it for around $25.00 to a dealer, who resold it to Gertrude Stein. In 2018, the painting fetched $115 million dollars at Christie’s New York. This is the story of the history of one painting’s ownership, changing tastes and social norms and their effect on monetary value, and the workings of the current auction scene.
DECORATIVE ART HISTORY
The Golden Age of American Costume Jewelry
1 hour; Power Point
Between 1925 and circa 1960, a period of widespread economic and social woes, middle class American women found a way to add glamour to their lives. Inspired by Hollywood stars and lavish magazine ads, they patronized department stores and bought exciting yet affordable baubles. See examples by some of the major manufacturers and learn how to determine the value of the items in your collection.
Modernist Jewelry 1930-1960
1 hour; Power Point
Between circa 1930 and 1960, artists such as Alexander Calder created one-off jewelry for fellow artists and friends. Generally using base metals and non-precious stones, he and his followers created timeless pieces meant to stand on their own as wearable art. Jewelers and wearers shared an appreciation for modernism and the desire to set themselves apart from mass-production and what they viewed as mindless repetition.
Gustav Stickley and Craftsman Farms
1 hour; Power Point
If the name and the place are not familiar to you, you may be familiar with the style of furniture that Stickley made famous… the American Arts and Crafts style, sometimes mistakenly called the Mission style. Stickley, born in Wisconsin, and professionally active in Syracuse and New York, New York, intended Craftsman Farms in Morris Plains, New Jersey, to be a school but it became a home for his family. Today it is a museum that displays examples of his beloved furniture.
Valuing Your Treasures
1 hour; Power Point
Household treasure comes in many forms: from Tiffany lamps to Depression glass; from rare paintings to comic books. We’ll see a selection of “Greatest Finds” from the Antiques Roadshow and move on to the more familiar material. Learn the key factors that distinguish high-value art and antiques from lower-value collectibles and the difference between formal appraisals and value estimates. This information will help you decide what to do with your collections.