ArtGuild Member Sign In
Artfixdaily News Feed

Interviews with Sotheby's Locked-out Art Handlers

20 October 2011
Sim Jones lives in the South Bronx. He's worked at Sotheby's for more 40 years. MetroFocus/Sam Lewis.

click to enlarge

Sim Jones lives in the South Bronx. He's worked at Sotheby's for more 40 years. MetroFocus/Sam Lewis.
(Courtesy of MetroFocus/Sam Lewis.)

The 43 art handlers locked-out of Sotheby's over a labor dispute since August 1 have been more than picketing the New York headquarters of the auction house. Several spoke up to MetroFocus about the challenges they face being out of work, and how their expertise is invaluable when handling high-end artworks.

They also opened up about what they love about their jobs. Said Sims Jones, 65, who has worked 40 years as an art handler, "The first paintings I fell in love with were Guy Wiggins’ snow scenes, but that’s just because I’m a city kid. I love what he does with his paint. He brings out the light, and you really get a feel for New York City."

Read more at Metro Focus

More News Feed Headlines
  • Julien Hudson, 1811-1844 American. Creole Boy With A Moth, 1835, oil on canvas, courtesy of a private collection; photo courtesy of Fodera Fine Art Conservation, Ltd.
    A groundbreaking exhibition opened Dec. 9 at the Worcester Art Museum entitled “In Search of Julien Hudson: Free Artist of Color in Pre-Civil War New Orleans.” Julien Hudson (1811-1844) is the second-earliest documented portrait painter of African descent to work in the United States. Little-known today, Hudson died an untimely, somewhat mysterious death, and only fragments of his oeuvre survive to tell his story.
  • 'May,' by Alexander Motyl, $25/month to rent ($550 to buy), artsicle.com.
    A bevy of new online ventures are helping to streamline the process of buying art for both beginners and established collectors, facilitating keyboard-click access to information and galleries.
  • An installation view of the new Tuscaloosa Museum of Art: Home of the Westervelt Collection.
    Last week, the Tuscaloosa Museum of Art opened its doors, finally giving a home to the art collection assembled by Jack Warner. Earlier this year, the Jack Warner Foundation and Westervelt Company separated, leaving the fate undetermined as to where their respective collections would be housed. Several key works were sold by the Westervelt Co. at auction and privately. Now, more than 800 pieces...
  • Portrait of a Man and Woman in an Interior, painted about 1666, by Eglon van der Neer (Dutch, 1634–1703). Oil on panel. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Seth K. Sweetser Fund.
    At the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Victoria Reed is the first and only endowed curator of provenance at an American museum. Since 2010, her role has been to research objects in the museum's collections, and new acquisitions, in order to determine the right of ownership. At times, Reed's findings have led to restitution...
Free e-newsletter sign-up
Enter e-mail address to receive art news daily.
Subscribe
ArtfixDaily Blogs