German artist Emilie Preyer’s Still Life with Peaaches and Grapes on a Table sold for $30,000 during the Feb. 1, 2018 auction at Sotheby’s. The painting was one of dozens from the Prendergast Library’s classic art collection that was to be sold in order to raise funding for operational costs.

NEW YORK – Fourteen more paintings from the James Prendegast Library Art Collection sold at auction on Thursday.

According to the Sotheby’s website, the 14 paintings that sold as part of the “Fine Old Master & 19th Century European Art,” had a combined hammer price with buyer’s premium $139,375.  After the buyers’ premium is removed, the library would net $111,500.

With a couple pieces selling well above their estimated price, the total amount from Thursday’s auction was considerably higher than the combined estimated value of the 14 paintings, which was between $45,500 and $68,500.

In addition, one painting – the most valuable of the 15 up for auction on Thursday – Leon-Jean-Basile Perrault’s Sleep, Baby, Sleep – did not receive a bid matching the reserve price and as a result, did not sell. That painting was estimated to be worth $30,000 to $50,000.

A complete list of each painting that was sold can be found below.

Counting Thursday’s auction, a total of 27 classic oil paintings from the Prendergast Art Collection have now been sold, with the library receiving an estimated net of $881,000 – though that number has not been confirmed by library officials.

It’s believed there are over a dozen more paintings that have yet to be sold by the library. The total value of the library’s art collection prior to any painting be sold was listed at $1.17 million.

Last year the library board approved the sale of the vast majority of its art collection – which featured dozens of classic 19^th and early 20^th century oil paintings from various internationally known artists – in order to help address a shortfall in funding from both donations and the city.

In addition to the 27 paintings that have sold at auction, another six paintings have also been sent to auction, but failed to sell.

The library plans to place the money generated from the auctions into its endowment fund so it can generate more interest, with that interest then being applied to annual operating budgets.

PRENDERGAST PAINTINGS SOLD
(as of Feb. 2, 2018)

Feb. 1, 2018 Southeby’s Auction

• Wilhelm Schutze’s The Schoolmaster
  Estimate: $3,000-$5,000
  Sold for $8,125 (Hammer price with buyer’s premium)
• Leo Herrmann’s Painting a Madonna
  Estimate: $1,000-$1,500
  Sold for $1,000 (Hammer price with buyer’s premium)
• Alberto Pasini’s The Passageway
  Estimate: $3,000-$5,000
  Sold for $7,500 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Paul Jean Clays’ Port Of Ostend
  Estimate: $2,000-$3,000
  Sold for $2,250 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Georges-Jean-Marie Haquette’s The Fisherman’s Wife
  Estimate: $2,000-$3,000
  Sold for $4,375 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Luis Jimenez Aranda’s Washday on the Seine
  Estimate: $5,000-$7,000
  Sold for $27,500 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Paul Louis Narcisse Grolleron’s Sharpening the Knife
  Estimate: $2,000-$3,000
  Sold for $2,000 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Etienne Prosper Berne-Bellecour’s Reminiscences of the War
  Estimate: $2,000-$3,000
  Sold for $3,750 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Emilie Preyer’s Still Life with Peaches and Grapes On A Table
  Estimate: $5,000-$7,000
  Sold for $30,000 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Emilio Sanchez Perrier’s Autumn
  Estimate: $8,000-$12,000
  Sold for $17,500 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Charles-Olivier de Penne’s Awaiting the Master
  Estimate: $3,000-$5,000
  Sold for $6,875 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Jean-Baptiste Robie’s Roses
  Estimate: $3,000-$5,000
  Sold for $21,250 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, R.A.’s A Landscape with Herdsmen, Animals
  Estimate: $5,000-$7,000
  Sold for $5,250 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• John Lewis Brown’s On Guard
  Estimate: $1,500-$2,000
  Sold for $2,000 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)

Jan. 18, 2018 – Post Auction Sale Approved by Library Board

• Jehan-Georges Vibert – LE NOUVEAU COMMIS
  Estimate $30,000 – $40,000
  (Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction)
  Sold for $25,000 Post-Auction

Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction

• Giovanni Boldini – IN THE GARDEN
  Estimate $400,000 — 600,000
  Sold for $399,000 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Alfred Stevens – LA NEIGE
  Estimate $70,000 — 100,000
  Sold for $68,750 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Anton Mauve – CARTING THE LOG
  Estimate $10,000 — 15,000
  Sold for $40,000 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)

Oct. 28, 2017 Stair Galleries Auction

• Otton Von Thoren – THE RELAY
  Estimate $2,000-4,000
  Sold for $5,000 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Walter Gay – AFTER THE HUNT
  Estimate $ 5,000-10,000
  Sold for $4,000 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• Douglas Duder – EAST RIVER
  Estimate $ 800-1,200
  Sold for $900 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)

October 6, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction

• Jasper Francis Cropsey – LAKE GEORGE
  Estimate: $30,000 — 50,000
  Sold for $275,000 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
  
• Chauncey Foster Ryder – CAMEL’S HUMP
  Estimate $3,000 – 5,000
  Sold for $16,250 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• William Trost Richards –EBBING TIDE
  Estimate $15,000 — 20,000
  Sold for $15,000 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
  
• Chauncey Foster Ryder – SNOW IN NOVEMBER
  Estimate $3,000 — 5,000
  Sold for $11,875 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
• John Francis Murphy – THE DAY IS DONE
  Estimate $1,200 — 1,800
  Sold for $5,625 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)
  
• Charles Warren Eaton – AN OCTOBER SUNSET
  Estimate $3,000 — 4,000
  Sold for $4,750 (Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium)

PRENDERGAST PAINTINGS UNSOLD
(as of Feb. 2, 2018)

• Charles Victor Thirion – PAYSANNE DE LA CREAUSE
  Estimate $50,000 – $70,000
  Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction
• Jules Joseph Lefebvre – FATIMA
  Estimate $60,000 – $80,000
  Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction
• Emilio Sánchez Perrier – ENVIRONS DE TANGERE
  Estimate $80,000 – $120,000
  Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction
• Martín Rico y Ortega – PONTE DELL’ANGELO
  Estimate $80,000 – $120,000
  Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction
• Johann Mari Henri ten Kate – BEHIND THE RAMPARTS
  Estimate $50,000 – $70,000
  Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction
• Leon-Jean-Basile Perrault’s Sleep, Baby, Sleep
  estimate: $30,000-$50,000
  Unsold at Feb. 1, 2018 Sotheby’s Auction

Leon-Jean-Basile Perrault’s Sleep, Baby, Sleep is one of 15 paintings on the Feb. 1, 2018 auction block at Sotheby’s. It was part of the Prendergast Library’s Classic Art Collection before the board voted to sell the collection in mid 2017.

JAMESTOWN – The Post-Journal is reporting that more Prendergast Library oil paintings are available for purchase Thursday during an auction hosted by Sotheby’s.

The auction, titled “Fine Old Master & 19th Century European Art,” will include 15 oil paintings from the Prendergast Classic Art Collection with a total estimated value between $75,500 and $118,500:

• Wilhelm Schutze’s The Schoolmaster – estimate: $3,000-$5,000
• Leo Herrmann’s Painting a Madonna – estimate: $1,000-$1,500
• Alberto Pasini’s The Passageway – estimate: $3,000-$5,000
• Paul Jean Clays’ Port Of Ostend – estimate: $2,000-$3,000
• Georges-Jean-Marie Haquette’s The Fisherman’s Wife – estimate: $2,000-$3,000
• Luis Jimenez Aranda’s Washday on the Seine – estimate: $5,000-$7,000
• Paul Louis Narcisse Grolleron’s Sharpening the Knife – estimate: $2,000-$3,000
• Leon-Jean-Basile Perrault’s Sleep, Baby, Sleep – estimate: $30,000-$50,000
• Etienne Prosper Berne-Bellecour’s Reminiscences of the War – estimate: $2,000-$3,000
• Emilie Preyer’s Still Life with Peaches and Grapes On A Table – estimate: $5,000-$7,000
• Emilio Sanchez Perrier’s Autumn – estimate: $8,000-$12,000
• Charles-Olivier de Penne’s Awaiting the Master – estimate: $3,000-$5,000
• Jean-Baptiste Robie’s Roses – estimate: $3,000-$5,000
• Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, R.A.’s A Landscape with Herdsmen, Animals – estimate: $5,000-$7,000
• John Lewis Brown’s On Guard – estimate: $1,500-$2,000.

It’s the fourth auction of the library’s art collection, which the library board approved the sale of in 2017, in order to help address a shortfall in funding from both donations and the city. So far 13 other paintings have been sold in three prior auctions and one post-auction sale, totaling $871,150.  An additional five paintings had also been sent to auction, but failed to sell.

In 2016 the collection was assessed at $1.17 million dollars. The library plans to place the money generated from the auctions into its endowment fund so it can generate more interest, with that interest then being applied to annual operating budgets.

PRENDERGAST PAINTINGS SOLD
(as of Jan. 31, 2018)

(Total Sale Proceeds: $871,150 with 13 Paintings Sold as of Jan. 31, 2018)

Jan. 18, 2018 – Post Auction Sale Approved by Library Board

• Jehan-Georges Vibert – LE NOUVEAU COMMIS
  Estimate $30,000 – $40,000
  (Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction)
  Sold for $25,000 Post-Auction

Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction

• Giovanni Boldini – IN THE GARDEN
  Estimate $400,000 — 600,000
  Sold for $399,000
• Alfred Stevens – LA NEIGE
  Estimate $70,000 — 100,000
  Sold for $68,750
• Anton Mauve – CARTING THE LOG
  Estimate $10,000 — 15,000
  Sold for $40,000

Oct. 28, 2017 Stair Galleries Auction

• Otton Von Thoren – THE RELAY
  Estimate $2,000-4,000
  Sold for $5,000
• Walter Gay – AFTER THE HUNT
  Estimate $ 5,000-10,000
  Sold for $4,000
• Douglas Duder – EAST RIVER
  Estimate $ 800-1,200
  Sold for $900

October 6, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction

• Jasper Francis Cropsey – LAKE GEORGE
  Estimate: $30,000 — 50,000
  Hammer Price: $275,000
  
• Chauncey Foster Ryder – CAMEL’S HUMP
  Estimate $3,000 – 5,000
  Hammer Price: $16,250 
• William Trost Richards –EBBING TIDE
  Estimate $15,000 — 20,000
  Hammer Price: $15,000
  
• Chauncey Foster Ryder – SNOW IN NOVEMBER
  Estimate $3,000 — 5,000
  Hammer Price: $11,875
• John Francis Murphy – THE DAY IS DONE
  Estimate $1,200 — 1,800
  Hammer Price: $5,625
  
• Charles Warren Eaton – AN OCTOBER SUNSET
  Estimate $3,000 — 4,000
  Hammer Price: $4,750

PRENDERGAST PAINTINGS UNSOLD
(as of Jan. 31, 2018)

• Charles Victor Thirion – PAYSANNE DE LA CREAUSE
  Estimate $50,000 – $70,000
  Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction
• Jules Joseph Lefebvre – FATIMA
  Estimate $60,000 – $80,000
  Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction
• Emilio Sánchez Perrier – ENVIRONS DE TANGERE
  Estimate $80,000 – $120,000
  Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction
• Martín Rico y Ortega – PONTE DELL’ANGELO
  Estimate $80,000 – $120,000
  Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction
• Johann Mari Henri ten Kate – BEHIND THE RAMPARTS
  Estimate $50,000 – $70,000
  Unsold at Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction

The Prendergast Library Board of Trustees during its Nov. 30, 2017 special meeting.

JAMESTOWN – The James Prendergast Library board of trustees held a special meeting Thursday determine how to proceed with six classic oil paintings by European artists that were not sold during a recent auction at Sotheby’s. On Nov. 21 a total of nine paintings from the library’s classic art collection were put up for auction, but only three were bid on.

The library board decided earlier this year to sell the classic art collection in order to help address financial challenges, including a decrease in fundraising and a reduction in aid from the city.  The state attorney general’s office permitted the sale of the artwork, but only if done through an auction house.

So far, 12 of the more than 2 dozen classic art paintings from the library have sold for a total of $846,000. The estimated value of the collection is $1.17 million.  The estimated value of the six paintings that didn’t receive a bid at auction is $350,000 to $500,000.

Library board president Tom Rankin informed the board that the two options available is to wait and put the oil paintings back up for auction next year, or they could entertain post-sale offers, in which a prospective buyer could offer Sotheby’s a price below reserve for a painting or paintings and the library board can then determine if it is acceptable or not.

The board voted that the library would try again to auction the artwork through Sotheby’s at a date to be determined, which would most likely be in November 2018.  In the meantime, the board’s finance committee will review any offers that are made and make a recommendation to the full board on whether or not the offer is acceptable, at which time the board would then vote on selling the artwork.

“We’re not trying to solicit offers. If they come in and Sotheby’s sends them to us, we will look at them, but we’re not at this point putting out the word to send us offers,” Rankin said. “Our official position is that we are going to relist them in November 2018.”

Rankin said that currently Sotheby’s has received two offers for two of the six paintings, although he could not disclose what those offers were for.

Rankin also said that despite another recent push on social media calling on residents to request the library keep the six paintings that were unable to receive a bid during the Nov. 21 auction, no one has reached out to library officials to make that request formally known.

“No one has contacted me directly about ‘saving the art’ – to use that term. No one has contacted the board officially. And no one on the board has mentioned that they’ve heard anything,” Rankin said. “The comments I have heard in general are supportive. I think, in general, nobody is happy that we don’t have the art anymore, but people understand, given the way the city has decided to cut our funding in a very draconian way, that we really don’t have choice anymore.”

On Monday the Jamestown City Council approved its 2018 budget, which slashes library funding by $50,000 – a 50 percent decrease  from the current year and a more than 85 percent reduction in funding from what the library was getting in 2015.

Only two members of the public where at Thursday’s meeting and only one person addressed the board, asking questions related to Jesse and Cathy Marion and their offer in 2016 to purchase the artwork and keep it in Jamestown. The Marion’s are a philanthropic couple from Texas who have roots in Chautauqua County and wanted to preserve the art collection for the residents of the city. However, the library was instructed by the state attorney general that it could not sell the collection to a private buyer, but would instead have to sell it through an auction house.

Prior to offering to purchase the collection outright in 2016, the Marions also pledged a $60,000 donation in 2015 if the library would hold off on selling the art collection for one year and work with them on finding an alternate solution. On Thursday night Rankin said the Marions made a donation of just, $30,000 – not the full $60,000.

The library’s finance committee will meet on Dec. 7 to review the two bids, as well as discuss and finalize the 2018 budget. The meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. is open to the public, although any discussion related to the offers for the art collection will likely take place in executive session.

The Prendergast Library’s board of trustees during its Oct. 19, 2017 meeting.

JAMESTOWN – The James Prendergast Library board of trustees will hold an emergency meeting Thursday afternoon, Nov. 30,  to determine how  to proceed with six paintings in its classic art collection that failed to sell at auction earlier this month.

On Nov. 21 a total of nine paintings were auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York City, with three of the paintings selling for $507,750. However, six other paintings were not sold. Those paintings estimated value was $350,000 to $500,000.

Following the auction, Library board president Tom Rankin said that the library went with a reserve price for each of the paintings that was recommended by Sotheby’s, and the high reserve may have been what prevented the pieces from being sold.

The board will discuss what to do with the paintings that didn’t sell during its meeting Thursday at 5:30 p.m.  That meeting is open to the public and some individuals in the community who are against the art sale could be on hand to urge the board to not sell the paintings. However, another news outlet has reported that Rankin has already stated the paintings will go back to auction and today’s meeting will focus on the process of selling them, not whether or not they should remain in possession of the library.

So far, 12 of the more than 2 dozen classic art paintings from the library have sold for a total of $846,000. The estimated value of the collection is $1.17 million.

The library has been faced with financial challenges in recent years due to a decline in donations from the community, as well as a reduction in aid from the city of Jamestown. In response, the library board made the decision to auction the vast majority of pieces in its art collection.

Giovanni Boldini’s In the Garden, which was part of the Prendergast Library’s classic art collection, sold for $399,000 at auction at Sotheby’s on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017.

NEW YORK – Three more paintings from the James Prendegast Library Art Collection sold at auction on Tuesday, Nov. 21, but six others that were also up for sale didn’t receive a single bid.

According to the Sotheby’s website, the three paintings that sold (listed at the end of this report) as part of the European artists auction had a combined hammer price of $507,750. The three had an estimated value between $480,000 to $715,000.

The top selling painting was Giovanni Boldini’s In the Garden, which had a hammer price of $399,000. It was estimated to be worth between $400,000 and $600,000.

The art sale is part of the Library’s effort to auction off its $1.17 million classic art collection.

In addition the three paintings that sold on Tuesday, six others didn’t sell. They were:

• Charles Victor Thirion’s Paysanne de la Creause, estimated value of $50,000 to $70,000;
• Jules Joseph Lefebvre’s Fatima, estimated value of $60,000 to $80,000;
• Jehan Georges Vibert’s Le Nouveau Commis, estimated value of $30,000 to $40,000;
• Emilio Sánchez Perrier’s Environs de Tanger, estimated value of $80,000 to $120,000;
• Martín Rico y Ortega’s Ponte Dell’Angelo, estimated value of $80,000 to $120,000;
• Johann Mari Henri ten Kate’s Behind the Ramparts, estimated value of $50,000 to $70,000.

Following the auction on Tuesday, library board president Tom Rankin told WRFA that it was disappointing the six paintings didn’t sell at auction. He said that the library went with a reserve price for each of the paintings that was recommended by Sotheby’s, and the high reserve may have been what prevented the pieces from being sold.

Rankin said that the board will discuss what to do with the paintings that didn’t sell at auction during a special board meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 30 at 5:30 p.m.  That meeting is open to the public. He adds that when the board acted on selling the artwork earlier this year, the approved resolution stated that the sale must be done through auction.

The library has been faced with financial challenges in recent years due to a decline in donations from the community, as well as a reduction in aid from the city of Jamestown. In response, the library board made the decision to auction the vast majority of pieces in its art collection. That decision was meant with opposition by some members of the community, who felt the classic artwork should remain in Jamestown for the community to appreciate, as was the intent when the collection was first put together more than a century ago.

This past summer, the New York State Attorney General’s office granted permission to the library to deaccession and sell the collection, but only if done through auction.

In October, six other pieces sold at a Sotheby’s auction for a combined hammer price of $328,500.  Before auction, the total estimated value of those six paintings was $55,200-$85,800.  Three other paintings also sold in October at Stair Galleries with a final total hammer price of $9,900.

So far, 12 paintings have been sold since the library board voted earlier this year to auction off the art collection.  The total hammer price for the nine paintings is $846,150, although a large portion of that total comes from the sale of two paintings – Boldini’s In the Garden (which, as listed above, sold for $399,000) and Jasper Cropsey’s Lake George, which sold for $275,000 on Oct. 6.  Combined, the two paintings brought in $674,000.

Library officials have said that any funding from the artwork auctions will be applied to the library’s endowment fund, rather than it’s general operating budget, despite there being a budget gap for 2018 due to a proposal by the city to reduce library aid by $50,000. That reduction has yet to be finalized by city council and library officials are hoping the council will restore the cut before approving a final spending plan for the city, which is due by Dec. 1.

More than a dozen other paintings from the collection will also go to auction early next year. That will feature “Old Master and 19th Century European Art”pieces and is slated to take place on Feb. 1, 2018.

PRENDERGAST PAINTINGS SOLD AT AUCTION

Nov. 21, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction

Giovanni Boldini – IN THE GARDEN
Estimate $400,000 — 600,000
Sold for 399,000

Alfred Stevens – LA NEIGE
Estimate $70,000 — 100,000
Sold for 68,750

Anton Mauve – CARTING THE LOG
Estimate $10,000 — 15,000
Sold for $40,000

Oct. 28, 2017 Stair Galleries Auction

Otton Von Thoren – THE RELAY
Estimate $2,000-4,000
Sold for $5,000

Walter Gay – AFTER THE HUNT
Estimate $ 5,000-10,000
Sold for $4,000

Douglas Duder – EAST RIVER
Estimate $ 800-1,200
Sold for $900

October 6, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction

Jasper Francis Cropsey – LAKE GEORGE
Estimate: $30,000 — 50,000
Hammer Price: $275,000
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.55.html

Chauncey Foster Ryder – CAMEL’S HUMP
Estimate $3,000 – 5,000
Hammer Price: $16,250
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.59.html

William Trost Richards –EBBING TIDE
Estimate $15,000 — 20,000
Hammer Price: $15,000
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.54.html

Chauncey Foster Ryder – SNOW IN NOVEMBER
Estimate $3,000 — 5,000
Hammer Price: $11,875
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.57.html

John Francis Murphy – THE DAY IS DONE
Estimate $1,200 — 1,800
Hammer Price: $5,625
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.56.html

Charles Warren Eaton – AN OCTOBER SUNSET
Estimate $3,000 — 4,000
Hammer Price: $4,750
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.58.html

Prendergast Library Executive Director Tina Scott (seated right) meets with the Jamestown City Council on Nov. 13 to discuss the city’s 2018 budget and its impact on the library.

JAMESTOWN – Supporters of the James Prendergast Library were among those on hand at Jamestown City Hall Monday night for a budget meeting between city and library officials.

With the Jamestown City Council continuing to consider possible adjustments to the 2018 city budget, Prendergast Executive Director Tina Scott went over the details of the library’s operating budget and explained how funding from the city is used to help ensure the doors stay open and all services are being met.

Mayor Sam Teresi’s executive budget is calling for a 50 percent cut in library funding, from $100,000 this year to just $50,000 in 2018. Even with the cut in funding to the library, the city is still faced with a budget deficit for 2018 over nearly $950,000.

Scott said since 2013, the library has reduced their budget by $363,000, or 30 percent, and that every dollar from the city is essential to ensure the library can continue to operate.

“We’ve cut hours. We’ve offered early retirement. We’ve cut services. And we’ve instituted a hiring freeze,” Scott said. “There really is no where else to cut, being that we need to be open 55 hours a week in order to just be a library in a community of this size.”

In addition to Scott appearing before the council, several library board members and community members talked with lawmakers, urging them to restore the $50,000 cut.

Jamestown City Council President Greg Rabb (seated left) explains to those in attendance why it’s unlikely $50,000 in funding for the Prendergast Library will be restored in the city’s 2018 budget.

Outgoing city council president Greg Rabb pointed out that the vast majority of the city council supports education and understands the important role the library plays as an educational institution in the community. However, he also said that while the entire city council wants to support the library, members also have to face the reality that the funding simply is no longer there.

“We’ve got a million dollar deficit. Tell me where you’re going to get me a million dollars so we can balance the budget. Tell me where I’m going to get $200,000 to keep our firehouses operating so our firefighters don’t have to worry about ceilings leaking and have to offer to help repair,” Rabb said, referring to details offered earlier this month by Deputy Fire Chief Chet Harvey, who stated that two of the city’s firehouses are in desperate need of repair.

“I love the library. [The rest of the city council] loves the library. We want to do the right thing, but the right thing is sometimes very painful,” Rabb said, adding that he doubts there will be an opportunity for the council to restore the money that is being cut.

If the cut stands, the city will have reduced funding for the library by more than 85 percent over the past three years.

Despite the cut in city funding, the library will be seeing an influx in new revenue due to the auctioning off of its classic art collection, which was initially valued at $1.17 million. So far the auctions have brought in $340,000 in sales, with the most valued of the art pieces yet to be sold. The next auction will take place later this month on Nov. 21 at Sotheby’s auction house.  But even with the new revenue, it’s unlikely it will be adequate to help the library though its financial challenges because the majority will be put in its endowment fund, with the generated interest from that fund being applied toward future library budgets.

Council Also Hears from City Development Department, Fenton History Center

As part of the budget deliberations, the council also heard from City Development Director Vince DeJoy, who focused on the various successes the city has seen in economic development and housing initiatives, despite having to work on a shoe string budget.

Fenton History Center Executive Director Noah Goodling also shared details of his budget with the city. The history center is located in the Fenton Mansion, which is owned by the city and as a result, the city is responsible for helping with the building’s upkeep.

The city council will hold a public hearing on the budget next Monday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. and will likely approve a final spending plan when it holds its monthly voting session on Monday, Nov. 27.

Copies of the city budget are available in city hall in the clerk’s office and the mayor’s office, as well as at the James Prendergast Library.

Otton Von Theron’s “The Relay” – which was part of the Prendergast Library Art Collection, sold at auction on Oct. 28, 2017 for $5,000, a $1,000 more than its estimated value.

JAMESTOWN – Three more paintings from the Prendergast Library art collection have sold at auction for a total of $9,900.

According to the Stair Galleries website, the three paintings that sold as part of an Oct. 28 auction (listed below at the end of this report) had a combined estimated value between $7800 to $15,200.

The top selling painting was Otton Von Theron’s The Relay, which sold for $5000, $1000 more than its high-end estimated value.

The art sell is part of the Library’s effort to auction off its $1.17 million classic art collection. Earlier this month, six other pieces sold at a Sotheby’s auction for a combined sales price of $328,500.  Before auction, the total estimated value of those six paintings was $55,200-$85,800.

So far, nine paintings from the Prendergast Art Collection have been sold since the board voted earlier this year to auction off the art collection.  The total sales price for the nine paintings is $338,400, although a large portion of that total comes from the sale of one paintings – Jasper Cropsey’s Lake George, which sold for $275,000 on Oct. 6.  The estimated value for the nine before auction was $62,000 – $101,000.

It’s not yet known how much of the $338,400 will make its way to the Prendergast Library. During the library’s October board of trustees meeting, president Tom Rankin said he wasn’t able to say how much money the Oct. 6 auction would yield because they sales were not yet finalized by Sotheby’s.

Jasper Francis Cropsey’s Lake George, a painting that was in the Prendergast Library’s classic art collection, sold at an Oct. 6 auction at Sotheby’s for $275,000, more than five times its estimated value.

Rankin said that any funding from the artwork auctions will be applied to the library’s endowment fund, rather than it’s general operating budget, despite there being a budget gap for 2018 due to a proposal by the city to reduce library aid by $50,000. That reduction has yet to be finalized by city council and library officials are hoping the council will restore the cut before approving a final spending plan for the city, which is due by Dec. 1.

The library has been cash-strapped in recent years due to a decline in donations from the community, as well as a reduction in aid from the city of Jamestown. To respond to the financial challenges, the library board made the decision to auction its classic art collection. That decision was meant with opposition by some members of the community, who felt the classic artwork should remain in Jamestown for the community to appreciate, as was the intent when the collection was first put together more than a century ago.

This past summer, the State Attorney General’s office granted permission to the library to deaccession and sell the collection, but only if done through auction.

The next auction of the art collection will feature the European artwork and will take place on Nov. 21 through Sotheby’s, with the specific paintings and estimated value to be released two weeks prior to the auction date.

PRENDERGAST PAINTINGS SOLD AT AUCTION

Oct. 28, 2017 Stair Galleries Auction

Otton Von Thoren – THE RELAY
Estimate $ 2,000-4,000
Sold for $5,000

Walter Gay – AFTER THE HUNT
Estimate $ 5,000-10,000
Sold for $4,000

Douglas Duder – EAST RIVER
Estimate $ 800-1,200
Sold for $900

October 6, 2017 Sotheby’s Auction

Jasper Francis Cropsey – LAKE GEORGE
Estimate: $30,000 — 50,000
Hammer Price: $275,000
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.55.html

Chauncey Foster Ryder – CAMEL’S HUMP
Estimate $3,000 – 5,000
Hammer Price: $16,250
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.59.html

William Trost Richards –EBBING TIDE
Estimate $15,000 — 20,000
Hammer Price: $15,000
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.54.html

Chauncey Foster Ryder – SNOW IN NOVEMBER
Estimate $3,000 — 5,000
Hammer Price: $11,875
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.57.html

John Francis Murphy – THE DAY IS DONE
Estimate $1,200 — 1,800
Hammer Price: $5,625
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.56.html

Charles Warren Eaton – AN OCTOBER SUNSET
Estimate $3,000 — 4,000
Hammer Price: $4,750
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.58.html

Jasper Francis Cropsey’s Lake George, a painting that was in the Prendergast Library’s classic art collection, sold at an Oct. 6 auction at Sotheby’s for $275,000, more than five times its estimated value.

JAMESTOWN – The James Prendergast Library board of trustees met on Thursday for its October meeting and received an update on the effort to auction off its $1.17 million classic art collection.

Board President Tom Rankin said the first of three auctions of the artwork took place earlier this month through the Sotheby’s auction house in New York and library officials were pleased with the initial results.

“The pieces that were sold were the American painters pieces and was very successful,” Rankin reported to the board and those in attendance. “We discussed with Sotheby’s that because there are still pending auctions and even with the October sales, they haven’t finalized everything because the buyers have 30 days to make payment. So we can’t publicly announce the net profits to the library at this time, but the ‘hammer’ prices are all online at the Sotheby’s website.”

WRFA located six paintings on the Southeby’s website from the Prendergast collection that were sold (complete list located below), including Jasper Francis Cropsey’s Lake George painting, which was estimated to sell for $30,000 to $50,000 but had a final hammer price of $275,000. The other paintings that sold weren’t as valuable as the Cropsey piece, but four of the five did sell higher than the estimated value.

Before auction, the total estimated value of the six paintings was $55,200-$85,800. The actual total sales for the six paintings was $328,500.

The Prendergast Library’s board of trustees during its Oct. 19, 2017 meeting.

Rankin said that any funding from the artwork auction will be applied to the library’s endowment fund, rather than it’s general operating budget, despite there being a budget gap for 2018 due to a proposal by the city to reduce library aid by $50,000. That reduction has yet to be finalized by city council and library officials are hoping the council will restore the cut before approving a final spending plan for the city, which is due by Dec. 1.

“There’s no legal restriction on the money, however [applying it to the general operating budget for next year] doesn’t make good long-term sense for the library because your yearly operational funds are one thing, but this money is supposed to go into the endowment fund and earn money forever, hopefully. So if we spend all the money on our operational budget we’re not helping our endowment and we’re not helping the future of our library.”

The library has been cash-strapped in recent years due to a decline in donations from the community, as well as a reduction in aid from the city of Jamestown. To respond to the financial challenges, the library has already had to draw more money out of its endowment fund that what it generates in annual interest during the past few years.

Two pieces of artwork in the Prendergast collection that will likely go to auction in November 2017: Left: “Industry” by French artist Eugene Romain Thirion – painted in 1874.
Right: “Sleep, Baby, Sleep” by French artist Leon Bazile Perrault, painted in 1884.
Both are from a collection of 32 paintings given to the library at the bequest of the Prendergast family.

The library’s decision to auction its classic art collection was meant with opposition by some members of the community, who felt it should remain in Jamestown for the community to appreciate, as was the intent when the collection was first put together more than a century ago.

A local group known as Save Local Art also identified Texas-based philanthropists with local ties, Jesse and Cathy Marion, to assist with keeping the art in Jamestown. At the end of 2015 the couple had offered to assist with developing a fundraising plan.

The Marions also donated $60,000 to the library at the end of 2015, in order to delay any possible sale and give the library and community time to try and find a way to keep the collection from going to auction.

The Marions later offered to purchase the collection from the library so that it could still stay in Jamestown for the community, but the board ultimately opted not to pursue that offer.

Besides delaying the sale of the art work at the request of the Save Local Art group, the library also had to wait until the State Attorney General’s office granted permission to proceed with deaccessioning the collection, because the paintings were originally purchased for the library at the bequest of local philanthropists on the condition that it permanently own the collection and put it on display for the benefit of the community.  The Attorney General’s Office eventually gave the library authorization to sell the art collection, but only if done through auction.

Meanwhile, the next auction will feature the European artwork from the Prendergast collection and will take place on Nov. 21 through Sotheby’s, with the specific paintings and estimated value to be released two weeks prior to the auction date.  Rankin said a third auction, featuring “lower end” paintings likely take place in January 2018 via the Stair Galleries auction house.

LIST OF PRENDERGAST PAINTINGS SOLD AT OCT. 6 AUCTION

Jasper Francis Cropsey – LAKE GEORGE
Estimate: $30,000 — 50,000
Hammer Price: $275,000
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.55.html

Chauncey Foster Ryder – CAMEL’S HUMP
Estimate $3,000 – 5,000
Hammer Price: $16,250
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.59.html

William Trost Richards –EBBING TIDE
Estimate $15,000 — 20,000
Hammer Price: $15,000
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.54.html

Chauncey Foster Ryder – SNOW IN NOVEMBER
Estimate $3,000 — 5,000
Hammer Price: $11,875
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.57.html

John Francis Murphy – THE DAY IS DONE
Estimate $1,200 — 1,800
Hammer Price: $5,625
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.56.html

Charles Warren Eaton – AN OCTOBER SUNSET
Estimate $3,000 — 4,000
Hammer Price: $4,750
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/american-art-n09635/lot.58.html

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The Prendergast Library art collection has been on display in the Prendergast Library’s Fireplace Room for the past several years.

JAMESTOWN – The Prendergast Library Board of Trustees has unanimously selected Sotheby’s to sell much of its art collection, despite pleas from several area residents who attended Thursday’s board meeting.

The action by the library board took place following nearly two years of effort by a group of area residents who’ve been working to “save the art” and keep the collection intact and in Jamestown, as intended when much of it was first purchased more than a century ago with money willed to the library from the estate of Mary Prendergast.

The most recent assessed value of the collection is $1.17 million, with the library planning to use proceeds from the auction to place in its endowment and use the interest generated to offset financial challenges in annual budget. It’s estimated such a plan would generate anywhere between $35,000 to $50,000 in additional money each year for the library, depending on how much the art actually sells for.

About two dozen people attended Thursday’s meeting, with ten of the attendees addressing the board at the start of the meeting. All but one spoke in favor of keeping the artwork.

Jamestown’s Peter Miraglia is one of several residents who spoke to the library board on Thursday, June 15 as part of an 11th hour effort to request the board not sell the library’s art collection.

Jamestown resident Pete Miraglia requested to board keep the collection, and work to leverage as both a fundraising and educational component of its programming.

“I appreciate that the library board provided the time for a buyer to step forward to keep the art in the community. However, as you know, a recent legal ruling made it virtually impossible to keep the art in Jamestown if it is sold,” Maraglia said, referring to a Surrogate Court decision announced last month that stated that if the artwork is sold, it can only be done through reputable auction house. “There are other ways to provide the library funds from the artwork. One way would be to lease the art to a group, who would house, maintain and promote it. This community has been bringing to life projects that a few years ago no one else could imagine. This is not the time to start going backwards.”

Another city resident, Timothy Starr, said the board was being shortsighted.

“It seems to me like there are options that haven’t been considered. It seems to me that the math doesn’t work very well,” Starr said. “If the collection is only worth one-plus-however-many million dollars, and if the salaries of the library alone are $700,000, or if [the sale proceeds] are added to the endowment and we get $35-$45,000 a year, why is it that that’s being considered as such a drastic solution that will have so little long-term benefit for us?”

And yet another area resident, Bill Locke, who’s also part of the save the art group, read a statement that was purportedly written by Jesse Marion, a Texas-based businessman. He and his wife Cathy, who is from the Jamestown area, are philanthropists who had offered to purchase the collection for its assessed value in order to keep it in Jamestown. That offer was turned down due to conditions outlined in the ruling by the Surrogate Cout.

“Libraries, newspapers and even books themselves are becoming extinct,” Locke read. “Art, however, can be an important cultural connection to our past and present for thousands of  years. Is $30-50,000 a year from increased endowment really worth the destruction of a dream and a treasure? I think not.”

Part of the statement read by Locke also admonished the board for its decision to sell the collection, rather than work with community members to find an alternative solution.

“I suggest that the entire board resign and the library find new leadership with strong personal and financial commitment to the library, the city, and its citizens,” Locke said.

Jeff Holroyd of Jamestown defended the board’s decision to sell the art collection, saying that if residents were in favor of saving the art, they should have supported a public funding referendum for the library that failed in 2016.

Not all who spoke were against selling the artwork. Jeff Holroyd of Jamestown said the library really has no other option after residents failed to support it during last year’s failed funding initiative referendum.

“Everyone had the chance to come and vote and put it on the tax. I know everyone gets touchy about increased taxes, but it was out there and we wouldn’t be having that meeting today if it had passed last year,” Holroyd said, adding, “This isn’t a museum. The sign outside says its a museum but it’s not. Is there a curator here or downstairs qualified to take care of that art that’s deteriorating on a daily basis?”

Following the statements from the public, the board unanimously approved the Sotheby’s resolution with no discussion, comment, or response to any one who spoke or was in attendance. However, following the meeting, Prendergast Board president Tom Rankin said that he and the board remains sympathetic to the Save the Art supporters.

“I sympathize with the folks that want to keep the collection, I absolutely sympathize with them. I don’t want you to think otherwise,” Rankin said. “I think when those folks asked us to delay once again selling the art collection, the board felt strongly that we’ve waited long enough. We’ve suffered some financial setbacks beyond our control, and we really need to help ourselves at this point so we can keep the doors open.”

Rankin said that the terms of the contract with Sotheby’s is that the library will receive 100 percent of any final bid placed on any artwork that is sold at auction. He said that the media should check with Sotheby’s to get the specific details on how it will make its profit. It’s believed that will happen by assessing buyers fee on anyone who purchases a piece of art at auction.

The artwork will be sent to Sotheby’s in the coming weeks so it can be cleaned and prepared for auction, with the sale likely taking place in the fall.

The only artwork that will remain in possession of the Predengast Library are the pieces that have a direct connection to Jamestown’s and the surrounding area’s history, such as portraits of the Prendergast family.

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The Prendergast Library Board of Directors during its Dec. 17, 2015 meeting.

Board president Tom Rankin announced during the December board meeting that Texas-based couple Jesse and Cathy Marion have offered to provide $60,000 to the library in 2016 in order to help close a budget deficit. In exchange, the library’s board will wait a minimum of 12 months before it reconsiders auctioning its art collection, which is valued at $3.17 million.

Instead, the library will work with the Marions in identifying local patrons and supporters who may be willing to purchase the collection so that it can remain in the Jamestown area and available for the public to view, as intended when the artwork was originally purchased.

Much of the collection includes 19th and early 20th century paintings by artists from America and Europe that were gifted to the library by various residents, including the Prendergast family during the early and mid 20th century. The art collection also including portraits of several Prendergast family members. The Prendergast family were one of the early settlers of Chautauqua County, with James Prendergast eventually settling and establishing the community that would later become Jamestown.

Following the meeting, Rankin told WRFA the board was very thankful for the Marion’s support.

“We’re very happy,” Rankin said. “It was very generous of Mr. Marion. He didn’t have to do that. He understands our financial position and he’s trying to keep the artwork in the community. We were able to find a common ground and come to terms on an agreement, at least for this year, and hopefully we will have some civic-minded investors come out who want to get together and buy the art collection.”

Rankin also said the goal for the library is to try and add $2 million to its endowment fund, which was one of the reasons why the board was looking to auction of its art collection in the first place. In addition, he said the library facilities are not the best place to store and present paintings that are over 100 years old, although he said the paintings with local historical relevance would be kept.

“We don’t want to have museum-quality art when a. – we don’t have the space for it, and b. – we can’t afford to maintain that kind of artwork,” Rankin said. “But, we do want to keep the portraits of the Prendergast family and the artwork from the Prendergast estate that shows the homestead in Kiantone. We always want to keep those.”

In August, the library board announced it had reached a deal with Sotheby’s to serve as the agent to auction off the art collection. The board explained the auction was necessary to raise funding for the library’s endowment, which would then result in a larger annual revenue stream.

When the plan was announced a number of individuals in the community voiced their concern over the library selling the artwork. Two months later during the October board meeting, Jesse Marion proposed to pay for the cost of restoring artwork and helping to pay for an upgrade of the library’s space to accommodate showing the collection.

The Marion’s interest in the collection is largely due to the couple being a supporter of the arts and Cathy Marion being a Jamestown native. The couple has been involved in several fundraising campaigns in their current home of Houston and also at with the the Fredonia College Foundation.

Rankin did say that the board would proceed with auctioning off six tapestries by modern artist Alexander Calder. Those tapestries could bring in as much as $35,000 – which would be put into the library’s endowment fund.

Also during Thursday’s meeting, the board announced it was not going to layoff any employees in 2016, due to the Marion’s contribution. However, the decision to close the library on Sundays in order to help cut back on costs will remain in place.