An annual event in Missouri is meeting with great anticipation — and purchasing — by everyone from first-time buyers to seasoned collectors.
For several years running, the American Legacy Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri, has hosted a “Collectors Resale Market” that continues to grow as high-quality American art is offered at a reduced rate. In what is described as an “exhausting” process, organizers comb through hundreds of submissions from private collections. Only original artworks that meet with the gallery standard make the cut, with this year’s event featuring over 250 works.
The event is made possible by consignments from families who have inherited works and aging collectors who are seeking to downsize their homes; the market offers up to 50 percent off the original price of the artwork. Adding a bit of drama and strategizing to the show and sale is the fact that each week the wall price is reduced an additional 10 percent. The game becomes deciding whether to strike quickly and pay a little more, or wait for a further reduction in price and perhaps lose the work to another collector.
Thomas Hart Benton, “Self Portrait,” lithograph, (c) American Legacy Gallery 2015
Several of the works featured in this year’s sale are from some of the biggest names in American art, including Thomas Hart Benton, Jackson Lee Nesbitt, William Reese, and Joseph Pennell. A beautiful example is “Catchin’ Up” by Bob Tommey, which depicts an observant cowboy who peers out of the frame toward the right. Crisp and clear, Tommey’s use of color and balanced compositional strategies surely make the painting highly coveted.
Another highlight is Thomas Hart Benton’s “Self Portrait” lithograph, which displays the artist in three-quarter length, gazing out at the viewer with mahl stick and brush in hand. His tight-lipped and pensive expression connotes an experienced man with little time for nonsense. The picture is — and will be — an undeniable part of history.
The “Collectors Resale Market” opened on Saturday, September 19, and runs through October 3. Prices continue to fall and art continues to sell, so collectors should make haste.
To learn more, visit the American Legacy Gallery.
This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.
