Note
1): See Askart.com and "Who Was Who In American Art" by Peter Falk
for biographical data on Paxson. Paxson studied with, among others, Edward
Messer, at the Corcoran Gallery Art School and William Merritt Chase, Cecelia
Beaux, Thomas Anschutz and Hugh Breckenridge at the Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts. She was a member of Allied Artists of America; Artists Professional
League; American Water Color Society, Painters in Water Color; Catharine
Lorillard Wolfe Art Club; National Association of Women Artists; New Haven
Paint & Clay Club; and Society of Independent Artists. Paxson exhibited at,
among other public venues, Allied Artists of America; American Artists
Professional League; American Water Color Society, Painters in Water Color; Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club;
National Academy of Design; National Association of Women Artists; Paint and
Clay Club; Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, National Collection of Fine Arts
(now the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American Art); and, at commercial
art galleries, including. Grand Central Art Galleries; Newhouse Galleries;
Marbella Gallery; Argent Gallery; and Marquis Gallery, all of New York City.
Paxson’s
works are in the collections of many prominent museums, including the
following: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Parrish Art Museum, Southampton,
Heckscher Museum, Huntington, all of New York; New Britain Museum of American
Art; Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury; Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, all of
Connecticut
Paxson
was an author, who wrote books, some of which she illustrated and was
illustrator for and contributor to magazines, such as Woman’s Home Companion and American
Magazine. Paxson also was lecturer or instructor at the National Academy of
Design; National Association of Women Artists; Frick Museum; Nassau Institute
of Art; Creative Arts School and taught art classes at Grand Central Park
(1944-1945), all of New York, plus the American School, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil (1948-1949).
Note
2) There is no doubt that both these paintings were executed during the time
Paxson was teaching "art classes at Grand Central Park (1944-1945), as
this small version of Central Park, is so titled and dated "1945.” See above. In addition, this painting
and the much larger version of Central Park (next lot) is irrefutable evidence
that she was a good student and follower of the Impressionist principles and
techniques of her teachers William Merritt Chase, Cecelia Beaux and Hugh
Breckenridge at the PAFA. Per Askart.com records, none of the Paxson paintings
that have sold at auction and were illustrated manifest even the slightest hint
of the highly developed and skilled Impressionist brushwork and pastel coloring
manifested in these two very attractive views of Central Park, New York City.
Thus, these auction records are totally irrelevant to establishing presale
estimates for these very fine paintings, depicting a very choice subject matter
in the heart of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The presale estimate
of $1,000-$3,000 for this lot's small version of the Central Park view of 1945
and $8,000-$15,000 estimate for the very large view of Central Park, 1945
in the immediately succeeding lot are predicated on the following
considerations: (1) Paxson's extremely impressive curriculum vitae, set forth
in Note 1) above; (2 the sheer beauty and esthetic appeal of these beautiful
Impressionist paintings, that, additionally present an interesting perspective
and juxtaposition of the path leading to a lake in Central Park and the lake
itself, with a mass of Manhattan buildings in the distance, all of which Paxson
painted with lovely Impressionistic pastel coloring and brushwork; (3) the
large version of Grand Central Park is in its original Newcomb Macklin frame,
the label of which is affixed to verso, and (4) perhaps, most importantly, the
subject matter of this painting, Grand Central Park, Manhattan, which was
designed by the great public landscapist, Frederic Law Olmsted
and Calvert Vaux in 1857, make these two paintings
very choice, highly desirable and valuable works of art, which, one suspects,
may cause the New York art dealers to bid very aggressively for these two
paintings, who may well believe that these presale estimates are too low and
bid in excess of the high presale estimates.