Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio of New Hope, Pennsylvania, is hosting a fine art auction featuring a collection of American and European paintings and works on paper on Sunday, June 8, at 2 p.m. The setting for the auction will be the Eagle Fire Company located up the street from the gallery in New Hope and a portion of proceeds from this special event are earmarked to benefit the Salvation Army Kroc Center Project. Over one hundred lots will be offered for sale; the collection highlights works by Pennsylvania Impressionists and artists from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Modernists, 19th century, New England and European painters are represented as well. Works by Harry Leith-Ross, John Folinsbee, William Sotter, William Lathrop, Daniel Garber, Antonio Martino, Walter Baum, Mary Elizabeth Price, William Taylor, Robert Spencer, and many others are being put on the block for the highest bidder. The public is invited to preview the sale and register for bidding on Saturday, June 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday before the auction from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the Eagle Fire Company located at 46 North Sugan Road, New Hope.
Paul and Harriet Gratz have chose the Salvation Army Kroc Center Project as the recipient of a portion of the proceeds generated by this auction event. The Kroc Center Project was set under way in January 2004, when Mrs. Joan Kroc, whose husband founded McDonald’s, left a $1.5 billion bequest from her estate to the Salvation Army USA – one of the nation’s most trusted and efficient organizations – to serve as a lead gift to build and operate 25 community centers in underserved neighborhoods throughout the nation. The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia was awarded the seed-funds from the estate to create the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Upper North Philadelphia. The 105,000-square foot community center on 12.4 acres will serve the surrounding neighborhoods, where poverty and juvenile crime prevails. The Kroc Center will house an array of programs designed to address the economic, educational, health, recreational and spiritual needs of the community it will serve. In keeping with the Salvation Army philosophy, the programs will be provided in an inclusive manner regardless of ability to pay.
“The Salvation Army succeeds in helping people when they’re really down and out. They do what they say they’re going to do,” reflects Paul Gratz, “and they do it consistently, without judgment.” He explains, “Harriet and I want to do something both meaningful and fun. We hope the event accomplishes just that.” Adds Harriet Gratz, “What is extraordinary about Mrs. Kroc’s gift is that it was designed to only partially pay for the cost of the community center, and additional philanthropy is required to make it work. Our gift essentially becomes worth twice its weight in offering hope and new opportunities for hurting communities.” The Salvation Army is unsurpassed in its effectiveness to help people in need, spending $.91 of every $1.00 of income directly in providing services. More can be learned about the project at the Web site: www.salvationarmykroccenter.org.
Featured lots from the auction include the large oil Quick Lunch – an important work by Rosamond Smith Bouve, one of the few successful women artists of the Boston School. The painting was exhibited at Carnegie Institute, the Corcoran Gallery Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Also to be offered are over a dozen playful drawings by a young William Lathrop, a colorful still life by Philadelphia Ten artist M. Elizabeth Price, and a view of the Schuylkill by Daniel Garber. European highlights include a Christmas Shopping Scene by France’s Edouard Leon Cortes and a Village Street Scene by Frederico del Campo, of Peru.
The event will take place at the Eagle Fire Company at 46 Sugan Road in New Hope, Pennsylvania. A catalog of the sale is available online at www.gratzgallery.com, or at www.newhopeauction.com. The auction will also be conducted via Live Auctioneers on eBay Live. Absentee and phone bid forms are available. Any inquiries regarding the auction may be made to Paul Gratz directly or to the gallery staff. Full-color printed catalogs are available through the gallery for $25.
Located at 30 West Bridge Street in New Hope, The Gratz Gallery and Conservation Studio features American 19th- and 20th-century oil paintings, particularly those of Bucks County, Philadelphia Ten and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art artists, as well as museum quality fine art conservation services and custom framing. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m., as well as by appointment. Call 215-862-4300 or visit the Gratz Gallery and Conservation Studio Web site at www.gratzgallery.com.