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The McCleery Auction documents the January 2000 sale of the most important
collection of American bird decoys ever assembled. The $11,000,000
New York auction of the collection of Dr. James. M. McCleery
by Sotheby's and Guyette and Schmidt Inc. was a seminal event
in the history of decoy collecting, bringing world-wide attention
to decoys as works of art and establishing astonishing new levels
of value for classic works.
"Because of the McCleery auction,
the world at large now knows about decoys," says Nancy Druckman,
Senior Vice President, American Folk Art at Sotheby's. "The
prices that were achieved equal those for Winslow Homer watercolors,
Remington bronzes, and other important examples of American fine
and decorative art." Joe Engers, editor of Decoy Magazine
adds, "There has never been and will never be another decoy
auction that impacts us so. The McCleery sale elevated decoys
to a new level. Great decoys, which many of us consider the finest
of American folk arts, will never be overlooked again. For that,
we can thank Jim McCleery." And, according to Frank Schmidt
of Guyette and Schmidt, Inc., "Dr. McCleery's collection
was essentially the center of the universe around which everything
else revolved. It was a benchmark by which every other collector
measured the potential value and importance of his or her own
collection."
Edited by decoy experts and authors Ronald
J. Gard and Robert Shaw, The McCleery Auction brings
together all of the major press reports about the collection
and the sale, including stories from The New York Times, The
Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Houston Chronicle,
Forbes, Maine Antique Digest, Antiques and the Arts Weekly, Decoy
Magazine, and dozens of other newspapers and magazines. The stories
are complemented with new essays by Dr. McCleery's daughters
Karen and Cathy, Nancy Druckman of Sotheby's, Frank Schmidt of
Guyette and Schmidt Inc., legendary collector William Mackey's
daughter Kathryn, and Ron Gard, who was Dr. McCleery's closest
friend. In addition, the book includes the richly informative
seminar presentations of decoy experts Robert Shaw, Joseph B.
French, Lloyd Tayloe Griffith, Ron Gard, Alan Haid, and Joe and
Donna Tonelli, as well as a unique 1988 interview with Dr. McCleery
that offers special insight into his collecting. The book is
illustrated throughout with over 100 beautiful photographs of
prizes from the McCleery collection, photos of Dr. McCleery,
and pictures of the auction itself.
Packed with information, opinions, advice,
and above all, fabulous decoys, The McCleery Auction is a must for anyone remotely interested in decoys or collecting.
Whether you are a new collector, an old hand or simply curious
about the art of the decoy, this book offers abundant rewards
and stands as a memorial to the extraordinary passion and connoisseurship
of a truly great collector-Dr. James M. McCleery.
Ronald J. Gard is the author of Isaac's Ark: The Art and Times of Isaac Smith and co-authored Ward Brothers Decoys: A Collectors Guide.
An avid collector of decoys and other American folk art, he is
a member of the International Advisory Board and a former trustee
of the Ward Foundation and Museum. As a passionate conservationist,
he also has held leadership positions with many national conservation
and outdoor organizations.
Robert Shaw is the author of Bird Decoys of North America: Nature, History, and Art; Call to the Sky: The Decoy Collection of
James M. McCleery, M.D.; America's Traditional Crafts, and other critically
acclaimed books on American folk art. Curator of the renowned
Shelburne Museum decoy and folk sculpture collections from 1981-94,
he is now an independent curator and consultant to collectors,
corporations, and museums worldwide. |
