
We have had the privilege to offer some fantastic Indy 500 and auto racing-related treasures over the years. Thanks to the Duesenberg and Clarence Cagle Estates, and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with retired racer Jigger Sirois, we have all become, in some shape or form, race fans. For many of us, racing has always been a big deal. For others, it’s been the collections and rich history of auto racing that served as the bait. We can unequivocally state that we all love auto racing and all of the interesting and amazing bits and pieces of memorabilia that go with it. ...

I recently came across this rather amusing photograph of me while cleaning out a drawer of old photographs. I find it comical that at the age of three I possessed the strength to lift what appears to be a sixteen pound gander. Upon seeing this photo, the first question that came to my mind was "Could I have ever ended up in a non-waterfowl related field?" With an avid hunter as a father and the past Chairman of National Audubon Society as my uncle and Godfather, the sporting field was a profession I couldn't refuse. Little has changed in the last forty years, I still love p...

The last year at Copley has brought some tremendous auction results. Coming off of last summer's Sporting Sale, "Paintings were the high scorers," as noted by Boston Globe correspondent Virginia Bohlin, with exceptional results and world records set for wildlife and sporting works. Copley's inaugural Winter Sale in New York this January was what Decoy Magazine's Joe Engers "enthusiastically call[ed] a 'win-win' sale" for decoys, providing a "needed jolt of optimism" in the decoy market. Our results showed there is a very active market for the best quality items, with many new buyers partici...

I am happy to announce my cable TV debut this weekend! In February, I travelled to Texas to recreate my gallery for the filming of a TV show called ‘Accidental Fortune.’ We shipped out five boxes of decoys and artwork from Boston and I spent three days on location in San Antonio. The episode of Accidental Fortune will air at 8 PM and 11 PM on Sunday, April 18th on TLC. Tune in to watch the thrilling tale of discovery that surrounds several A.E. Crowell decoys!

Written by sporting art dealer Stephen O'Brien Jr. and ARTFIXdaily publisher Julie Carlson Wildfeuer, The Art of Aiden Lassell Ripley documents the artist's progression and growth, from his initial rise as an Impressionist to Realist depictions of his outdoor passions that continue to shape sporting art today. Over three years in the making, this is the most comprehensive book to date on the Massachusetts artist, chronicling paintings from his early life and work, illustrations and murals, landscapes and cityscapes, scenes of the South and his well-known sporting art. The...

I am pleased to announce a new exhibition of paintings by renowned sporting artist Chet Reneson that will run from October 15 – December 15, 2009. The exhibition features a variety of subjects near and dear to Reneson, including five sporting scenes and four Bahamian paintings. I am particularly thrilled to present a snowy-blowy duck hunting scene that perfectly captures the bluster of a winter hunt, as well as a grouse shooting work and an intense image of two Bahamian fishermen hauling a great white shark into their boat. Reneson’s impeccable sporting art credentials attest...

Through October 15, my gallery Stephen O’Brien Jr. Fine Arts will feature a solo exhibition of six major works by the artist, writer, and sportsman Galen Mercer. The grandson of two painters and the son of another, Mercer excelled in formal technique at Thornton Hall Academy, a school specializing in the fine arts. This exhibition demonstrates his impressive ability to apply that classic tradition to a bold, expressive palette. Any nature lover like myself will appreciate Mercer’s works. His landscape and sporting scenes reveal both the harmony and vitality of nature. I...

On July 15 and 16, Copley Fine Art Auctions held its annual sporting sale in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The 2009 auction shot over its $3.5 million low estimate settling in at $4.16 million, making it the most successful in the company’s history. In this landmark sale, 23 of the 25 highest estimated lots sold. Commenting on the auction, Copley Chairman Stephen B. O’Brien Jr. said, “To be up thirty percent from last year’s totals in this economy is a testament to the hard work of our entire staff, and the trust that our clients place in us. We make every effort to deliver a pleasurable experie...

Within the wide selection of Frank Benson bird etchings and Ogden Pleissner sporting scenes in Copley Fine Art Auctions' two-day Annual Sporting Sale, July 15-16, was a softly-rendered, warmly-lit portrait by Boston School artist Edmund Tarbell (1862-1938). Tarbell's "An Opal: Study of Yellow and White Light" pictured a confident Victorian lady. At the Plymouth, Massachusetts, sale Copley hammered down this alluring image for a strong $120,750 (estimate: $100,000-$200,000), part of the auction house's $4.15 million total take, a 30% increase over last year's sales results. The sitter's pose...
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