A Year of Celebration: December Auction at James Cox Gallery Marks 35th Anniversary

The James Cox Gallery in Woodstock will culminate its 35th year serving the Hudson Valley art community with its second Collectors Exchange Fine Art Auction of 2025. This online-only auction is scheduled for Sunday, December 14th, starting promptly at 1 PM.

The upcoming auction will feature nearly 200 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, with 98% offered for sale at no reserve, according to James Cox. Commenting on the unique diversity of the auction, Cox noted, “Our biannual sales are known for their eclectic character.”

Charles Burchfield’s (1893-1967) “Hay Wagon” is among the distinctive artworks featured in the December 14th event. Cox explained that the work is unusual for the renowned watercolor painter, who is known more for his transcendental depictions of trees and mysterious houses than for expansive landscapes like this one. The piece is also unique in that an unfinished watercolor of ice floats in a stream is painted on the verso.

Another important work in the sale is Ben Nicholson’s (1894-1982) gouache and ink on board titled “Sailboat”. Nicholson was a leading pioneer of abstract art in England, Cox pointed out. “This is a fine example of his definitive technique.” An exquisite small landscape by renowned Hudson River School artist Albert Insley (1842-1937) features a harbor scene, teaming with activity and bathed in shimmering warm light. Work by another prominent turn-of-the-century artist will also be featured, a self-portrait etching by Anders Zorn (1860-1920).

Rare pieces from the estate of prominent Woodstock artists Austin Mecklem (1890-1951) and his wife Marianne Appel (1913-1988) include Appel’s “Skiers”, an elegant small gouache rendered in subtle grey tones. A gouache by Mecklem, “Fish for Sale”, and an oil portrait of his wife, “Woman with Two Aces”, are exceptional examples of this artist’s whimsical style, Cox noted. The gouache depicts two elderly men sitting on a dock smoking pipes, a tiny dog tethered to one gentleman’s chair, while the oil depicts Mecklem’s wife in a coquettish pose, two aces spread out on the table in front of her.

Work from another Woodstock artist’s estate, Bruce Ackerman (1935-2025), includes several of the popular editorial cartoons he created for The Woodstock Times weekly newspaper. According to Cox, “The public may not be aware of what a gifted fine artist Bruce was.” A group of Ackerman’s watercolors will also be on the auction block, including “Zena Road”, a pastoral scene familiar to most Woodstockers. Ackerman was also interested in the human figure, creating many nude paintings and sketches. Cox referred to an example included in the sale, “The Art Student”, which features the sundrenched figure of a young woman in blue jeans as “the finest example I have seen of Bruce’s watercolor technique.”

The December sale will include an oil, two watercolors and several monoprints by beloved Woodstock artist and teacher Richard Segalman (1934-2021). Cox pointed to “Three Figures on the Beach” as a stunning example of the artist’s monoprint technique, a medium the artist began to pursue seriously in his later years. The large work is a variation on one of Segalman’s favorite themes. “Richard created many beautiful watercolors, oils and prints of women on the beach,” Cox explained. “This piece, with its arresting dark shapes, represents Segalman at his finest.” Paintings of women dressed in white, a figure posed by the window of the artist’s Greenwich Village apartment, and a couple on the beach are recurring themes also represented in this selection of Segalman’s work.

A pair of exceptional Zulma Steele’s (1881-1979) features fireworks displays rendered in watercolor and crayon. “The long, slender formats of these paintings add to their dramatic effect,” Cox noted. “They are very unusual and were exhibited at New York’s prestigious Spanierman Gallery.” Other fine examples of the Woodstock artist’s work include a Catskill Mountain views painting and three miniature woodcuts.

Among the work by other Woodstock artists included in the sale is an unusual watercolor by Gurdon Howe (1903-1984). Howe is noted for his paintings of architectural subjects. Still, Cox pointed out that “Gothic Mansions” is distinctive for its portrayal of dramatic late-day light splashing across an elaborate, almost haunted-looking, Victorian façade. “An exceptional Gurdon Howe,” Cox observed.

A particularly interesting piece in the sale is by an artist more known for his criminal background than his artistic endeavors. A watercolor and color pencil depiction titled “Rooftops” is the work of convicted felon Gerald McGivern (1944-2001), who spent 22 years in prison before being granted clemency by New York Governor Mario Cuomo and eventually paroled. Some Woodstockers will remember him as the husband of Woodstock Times reporter Marguerite Culp. “We accepted ‘Rooftops’ on consignments for its aesthetic merit,” Cox explained. “The depiction of exotic, mosque-like forms is the work of a talented artist.”

Other fine work by early Woodstock artists include an oil of the iconic Dutch Reform Church by John Bentley (1880-1951); “Portrait of a Young Girl”, a captivating oil of a young black woman by Jo Cantine (1893-1987); two engravings by Norma Morgan (1928-2017); an elegant lithograph by Bernard Steffen (1907-1980); and a seated nude in oil by Emil Ganso (1895-1941).

Living Woodstock artists are represented in the sale as well, including an oil painting of the façade of the Metropolitan Museum by Mary Anna Goetz (b. 1946); an oil of the Brooklyn Bridge by Zhang Hongnian (b. 1947); two aquatints by Yale Epstein (b. 1934) titled “Mountain Mist” and “Mountain Morning”; and an oil painting of a bar scene, titled “The Crucible”, by Leslie Bender (b. 1952).

Among the works by other well-known artists is a charming watercolor titled “Snowy Owl-North Star” by Leonard Baskin (1922-2000). Also of note is a vibrant watercolor by John Costigan (1888-1972) titled “Farm Family”; a mixed media composition by Joan Snyder (b.1940) titled “Vocabulary”; and two fine still lifes in oil by Ben Benn (1884-1983).

Sculptural work includes an exceptional example of Tricia Cline’s (b. 1956) original clay work. “Little Wedding Wives” features a striking, bright pink cloaked figure surrounded by tiny fetish-like figures. “Trophies of Honor”, a cold-painted bronze bust that is part of the sculptor Dave McGary’s (1958-2013) Warrior Series, is an important example of this artist’s depictions of Native Americans.

Among the more unusual works in the sale are two aluminum repousse works featuring Biblical themes by Nigerian artist Asiru Olatunde (1918-1993) and three assemblages by another popular Woodstock artist, Lenny Kislin (1946-2017), including “The Hunter”, a fanciful arrangement featuring a comical statue of a hunter encased in a rare tramp art frame.

Featured Artwork by Jo Cantine

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The public is invited to a preview party on Friday, December 12th, from 5 PM to 7 PM.

For more information, call the gallery at 845-679-7608 or email [email protected].
Visit the gallery website www.jamescoxgallery.com, Invaluable Auctions, or LiveAuctioneers to register to bid.