CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Christie’s New York is selling several works from the Bill and Dorothy Fisher Art Collection including L’Odet à Quimper by Paul Signac, pictured, which has an estimated value between $6 and $9 million. The proceeds of the sales will benefit cultural enrichment in the Marshalltown community, including support for the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC).
NEW YORK — Christie’s is pleased to announce property from the Bill and Dorothy Fisher Collection, a dedicated group of Impressionist works that will be showcased during the Fall Marquee Week of sales in New York, featuring outstanding examples by iconic artists including Paul Signac, Camille Pissarro, Eugene Boudin, Pierre Bonnard, Alfred Sisley, Henri Matisse and others.
The artworks come to Christie’s from the Fisher Governor Foundation of Marshalltown; proceeds from the sale will be allocated to further the mission of the late Bill and Dorothy Fisher to promote local cultural enrichment in the community, including support for the Marshalltown Arts & Civic Center (MACC). In total, the full collection is expected to realize in excess of $10 million with eight works up for auction.
“Bill and Dorothy Fisher and the Fisher family have demonstrated their love for and commitment to their hometown of Marshalltown for decades, through their generosity and as exemplars of the importance of giving back to one’s community. We are excited to work alongside Christie’s team to recognize and honor this legacy and in a way that will enable us to perpetuate their good work and vision for Marshalltown for many years to come,” David Tank, Board Member of the Fisher Governor Foundation, said.
“We are delighted to present this exquisite collection of art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in our 20th Century Evening Sale and Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sales. Acquired by esteemed collectors and generous patrons Bill and Dorothy Fisher more than half a century ago, this best-in-class grouping underscores the strong significance of American patronage in the history of Impressionism. We are deeply thankful to the Fisher family for entrusting our team to steward these works and look forward to fielding the market’s response,” David Kleiweg de Zwaan, Christie’s Senior Specialist, Impressionist and Modern Art, said.
“We are deeply honored to pay tribute to the Fisher family as we showcase cherished works from their exemplary collection in our Marquee Week Sales — with Paul Signac’s L’Odet à Quimper standing paramount among them. The canvas is a triumphant demonstration, impressively scaled with rich color and detail, of the artist’s unmatched coloristic abilities, employing rich hues of emerald and sapphire interspersed with warm jewel-tones capturing the magnificent light. We are truly thrilled to present it to the market this fall, particularly for such a benevolent and worthy cause,” Imogen Kerr, Christie’s Co-Head of the 20th Century Evening Sale, said.
The top lot of the group is a masterpiece by Paul Signac, L’Odet à Quimper (estimate: $6 million – $9 million), a radiant canvas rooted in one of the artist’s greatest passions. Signac was famously an enthusiastic amateur sailor; deeply fascinated by the water, he traveled extensively by boat, visiting many of France’s, and Europe’s, greatest ports. The work was painted in Quimper, the ancient medieval town on the river Odet in Brittany, in 1922-23 and is an exceptional example of the iconic Pointillist’s mature painterly style. The painting has been in the collection of Bill and Dorothy Fisher for more than 60 years.
The collection as a whole is a testament to the Fishers’ refined sense of taste, with highlights in both the 20th Century Evening Sale on November 17 and in the Impressionist and Modern Art Works on Paper and Day Sales on November 18, including examples by Henri Matisse, Alfred Sisley and Pierre Bonnard. With the majority of the works held in the Fisher collection for over half a century, this is a rare opportunity for collectors to acquire exceedingly fresh-to-market pieces of the highest caliber.
Bill Fisher served as President of the Fisher Governor Company during his life and is remembered as a legendary supporter of the arts both within Marshalltown and nationwide. Together with his wife Dorothy, Bill continued his deep passion for an in all forms, which began at an early age due to his mother’s influence, and lasted throughout his lifetime. For decades, the Fishers tirelessly dedicated themselves to enriching, inspiring, and uplifting their community through promoting creative pursuits across categories including theatre, music, dance, opera. and fine art to honor the Fishers inimitable legacy of generosity, auction proceeds will benefit the Marshalltown community.
David Kleiweg de Zwaan, Christie’s Senior Specialist, Impressionist and Modern Art:
“Christie’s is delighted to play a role in such a meaningful story of local patronage of the arts and civic engagement. It was an exciting moment for our specialist team to come to Marshalltown and encounter the collection of Bill and Dorothy Fisher for the first time. It is rare to encounter Impressionist works of such high quality outside of the context of a big city, speaking to just how thoughtful and visionary the Fishers were in their collecting,” Kleiweg de Zwaan added. “These artworks have all been lovingly preserved, and off the market for two generations. Many were acquired in the 1960s and 1970s, making them remarkably ‘fresh to market.’ Signac’s extraordinary pointillist painting L’Odet à Quimper (1922-1923) and Pissarro’s glittering snowscape Neige et givre à Eragny (1895) lead the group and will be offered in the 20th Century Evening Sale, Christie’s flagship masterpiece auction, on Nov. 17. The remaining works in the collection are included in the Impressionist and Modern Art Day sale on Nov. 18.”
Sale Schedule
Monday, Nov. 17 — The Collection of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis
Monday, Nov. 17 — 20th Century Evening Sale
Tuesday, Nov. 18 — Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper and Day Sales
Wednesday, Nov. 19 — 21st Century Evening Sale Featuring Works from The Edlis | Neeson Collection
Thursday, Nov. 20 — Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale