Approximately 1,500 works of art by Connecticut artist Revington Arthur (1907-86) were discovered in State College, Pa., after being stored there since the 1980s.
Arthur, from Stamford, Conn., was a well-established artist during the 1940s through the 1970s. He exhibited at prominent artist institutions and had showings at galleries across the northeast, including New York City. In 1945, one of his works, “The Green Pool,” was published in “Time Magazine” as critics choice.
A selection of the artist’s works will be offered at auction on Friday, Feb. 24, by Cordier Auctions in Harrisburg. Arthur’s work evolved in style, but he primarily worked in acrylic, oil, and watercolor. He was considered an expressionist or abstractionist. Some of his work could be described as surrealistic.
Arthur’s early artistic education included the institutions Grand Central School of Art and the Artist Student League in New York City, as well as the George P. Ennis School in Eastport, Maine. By the 1940s he was studying art history at Columbia University. Like many artists, his education included working under more established artists. His influence and training came from the likes of George Luks, Ashle Gorky, and Kimon Nicolaids.
He was most prolific from the 1940s to the 1970s, exhibiting his work in both one-man and group shows. Some of the most notable venues included the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in Philadelphia, the Carnegie Museum of Fine Art in Pittsburgh, and the Connecticut Academy of Fine Art. Several prominent museums have his works in their permanent collections, including The Brooklyn Museum in New York., The Delaware Museum of Art in Wilmington, the AKG Art Museum in Buffalo, N.Y., and The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
During the 1940s and 1950s, Arthur’s works and style were also published in art and general publications including Time Magazine, Esquire, Art Digest, and American Artist.
Cordier Auctions discovered the collection when hired to sell the estate of Sandra Byham in State College. Since the 1970s, Byham had been working on placing the collection with an institution but was unsuccessful.
To learn more about the Feb. 24 sale, visit www.CordierAuction.com. In-person previews can be scheduled by appointment; call 717-731-8662.