Edward Bannister Oil Painting, ca. 1885
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GUEST:
I acquired the painting at a local auction in West Bay of Rhode Island. That was, I think, about ten years ago, and I paid $12,000 for it.
APPRAISER:
I know you know about the artist. What can you tell me about him?
GUEST:
Well, I can tell you that he's a Rhode Island artist.
APPRAISER:
Right.
GUEST:
Edward Bannister. He was one of the founders of the Providence Art Club.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And I'm not sure if it's true, but I've heard the story that he was awarded a prize at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, and when they stepped up to receive the prize, they said, "Oh, no, we're looking for Edward Bannister," because he was a black artist, and people didn't believe that a black artist could have won the prize.
APPRAISER:
Well, that's right. He really was the first African-American artist to gain any kind of national recognition, and it was an award, a bronze medal, at the, at the Centennial. But I understand that that story is true. Certainly, he is one of the 19th-century African-American artists of note, the first being Joshua Johnston, and then Robert Duncanson from Cincinnati, and then later, Henry O. Tanner. So he certainly was in very good company. He was born in New Brunswick, Canada. While he was a young boy, he had the luxury of being able to learn and study art, and finally comes to Boston around 1848, and he had a career as a barber for a while in the Boston area.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
He had the fortune to marry a wealthy businesswoman from New York, and because of that, he could spend his career painting. And so he was able to set up a studio early on.
GUEST:
Hmm.
APPRAISER:
And I believe they lived in the Boston area until they moved to Providence sometime by 1870. So in your painting, we see a very moody, churning sea with a break of sunlight there in the center, which adds a little bit of drama to it. He was a sailor, and he would sail off the coast of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts and make sketches.
GUEST:
Hmm.
APPRAISER:
So most likely, he would've made sketches for a painting like this on one of his trips. The market for African-American art has soared in the... since... Certainly since 2000, if not before. As a result, the market has become much more frenzied.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So if this painting were for sale in a gallery in New York, I believe that it could be sold in the range of $45,000.
GUEST:
(laughs) Wow. That's amazing.
APPRAISER:
It's, it's a stunning piece, and it's just very special, and his work is special, and the seascape is a rare subject.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So I think that makes it quite interesting.
GUEST:
Wow. Thank you.
APPRAISER:
You're welcome. (laughing):
GUEST:
That is amazing.
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