John Douglas Patrick: Artist’s Estate Auction

When:
December 23, 2017 @ 12:00 am – January 15, 2018 @ 7:00 pm
2017-12-23T00:00:00-06:00
2018-01-15T19:00:00-06:00

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John Douglas Patrick ( 1863-1937)

Born in Hopewell, Pennsylvania, Patrick was the son of Scottish immigrants, and moved with his family to a farm outside of Lenexa, Kansas in 1878.

He began his artistic studies at the St. Louis School of Art before leaving in 1885; he traveled to Paris, where he enrolled in the Académie Julian. During this time he was accepted at the Paris Salon, showing work there in 1886 and again in 1887.

In 1888 he painted Brutality, depicting a working beating his horse, a common sight in Parisian streets at the time; the painting was shown at the Salon of 1888, and is widely considered his masterpiece. It is currently owned by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Patrick also exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in 1889, where Brutality won a medal, making Patrick among the first Americans so awarded by the French artistic community; some sources denote him as the first American from west of the Mississippi River to be so honored. He returned home to the United States, teaching at the St. Louis School of Art for three years.

In 1903 he moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he took a position at the Kansas City Art Institute. He would remain with that institution for 32 years, rising to become the primary instructor of painting and occupying a prominent role in the local artistic community early in the 20th century. He showed work at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904. In addition to teaching, he was active as a portraitist for much of his career. Patrick died in Kansas City, and is buried in the Corinth Cemetery in Prairie Village, Kansas, in the family plot.

In addition to Brutality, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art owns several drawings by Patrick; all were donated to the collection by the families of his daughters, Grayce Patrick Wray and Hazel Patrick Rickenbacher, to recognize the museum’s 75th anniversary in 2009. The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum owns a portrait of Wayman Crow, Sr., painted in 1890. Another work is in the Johnson County Historical Museum in Johnson County, Kansas while the Kansas City Art Institute owns a self-portrait. Other paintings remain in private hands. (Wikipedia)

We are extremely honored, humbled, and excited to bring this historic collection to you. In the auctions that follow you will experience the quality, quantity, breadth and depth of his work. You will have the opportunity to acquire works that were produced in Paris, France; Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; Kansas City; Lenexa, Kansas; and many other places.

The variety of works include quick sketches in graphite, completed drawings, studies for paintings (including study work for Brutality), and hundreds of paintings done in oils. Some works are spectacular and ready to hang in your home, gallery or museum. Other works are in states best described as estate fresh.

Other highlights from the collection include hundreds of pieces of correspondence from patrons, friends, institutions, and others. His personal collection of brushes, palettes and items used to create his art. The traveling trunk he used when he traveled to and from France and various items from throughout his career.

As we continue to organize and catalog thousands of items from this collection we will continue to share items of interest and wonder.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire items created by, and used by an American Master who has long gone unnoticed.