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4-A Maine Antique Digest, December 2016
Letters
Obituaries
The Meeting Place
SIC ’EM!
Dear
M.A.D.
:
I enjoyed the “Home and Business
Security” article by John P. Reid in the
October issue of
Maine Antique Digest
(see p. 18-B), especially because of a
recent incident.
We’ve all had those customers that we
knew “didn’t belong,” but this one really
stood out. He was a hyperactive single
male that was darting around everywhere,
not really looking at product. Instead,
he was looking up, looking at windows,
doors, and actually asked, “What do you
have for security around here?” Really,
this happened.
I replied, “Two dogs and a .38.” He left
almost immediately.
Woody Herman
Middle Grove, New York
FUTURE COLLECTORS
Dear Editor:
In “Letters” for November 2016 (see
p. 4-A), Charles Muller asked why chil-
dren under 16 were not permitted at a
certain antiques event. I agree with his
sentiments. It has been ten years since I
responded here about children as future
antiquers, but I will sound off again.
My preteen brothers and I were taken
on our parents’ weekly Sunday antiques
hunting trips in Connecticut and Long
Island in the 1940s. At one shop, the
dealer offered us a choice from among
inexpensive items he kept as gifts for
good children. I still remember the worn
U.S. large cent I picked. I recall my father
showing my teenage girlfriend (now my
wife for 65 years) how to tell genuine
Sandwich glass by the feel. She became
a convert. Our own children went with us
on antiques forays. They are now antiques
collectors in some way or another.
As a dealer after retirement, I saw chil-
dren come to shows or my shop with their
parents. I tried to answer children’s ques-
tions and was pleased to see a few light
up with interest. Their parents appreciated
my attention to their offspring. Wikipe-
dia says the Keno brothers were antiques
dealers at age 12.
Kids today are the next generation of
collectors. Welcome them.
John Reid
Newmarket, NH
SINGULAR PURSUIT AND
INFLUENCING LEGISLATION
Dear Clayton,
In the November
M.A.D.
editorial, you
made a very significant comment, “if the
trade had a lobbying arm….” That possi-
bility will require a dealer organization,
which the test of time has clearly revealed
will not happen. The decorative and fine
arts trade by its own incredible diversity
won’t allow or accept one, except for
isolated and specific areas with limited
scope.
Having the ability to influence and
mold legislation requires attorneys, pub-
lic relations, and a focus of leadership
(not to mention money). In your analysis
of the pending New Jersey task force con-
sidering “secondhand valuables,” the rec-
ommendations of that group were quite
interesting and thought provoking. For
the most part, you explained that it dealt
with jewelry and precious metals, and
seemed to specifically be a concern for
retailers like pawnbrokers and auction-
eers, a classification not associated with
most dealers of antiques and fine art.
Similarly, the California legislation is
narrow in its scope regarding memora-
bilia and not the industry at large. The
Connecticut issues on ivory are trouble-
some, but again aren’t industry-wide reg-
ulations that affect everyone dealing in
secondhand goods. The interests of deal-
ers in the art and antiques industry lie in
the hands of those with the most to lose
within their specific specialties. However,
Sotheby’s, Christie’s, eBay, Amazon, and
even 1stdibs make any dealer pale in
looking at the big picture; they operate
with a diversity of products and interests
and understand how to modulate the legal
and legislative process.
A dealer’s survival is a singular pur-
suit, and influencing legislation requires
industry collaboration. Small steps in that
direction come at the cost of surviving in
an already challenging environment for
the small businesses that represent this
industry.
Lewis J. Baer
Newel, LLC
New York City
JOHN WHITNEY PAYSON
John Whitney Payson, 76, of Jupiter
Island, Florida, died unexpectedly on
Sunday, October 16. He was an art dealer,
philanthropist, and advocate of civic
causes.
In 1972 Payson founded Hobe Sound
Galleries in Florida, and in 1985 he
acquired Midtown Galleries in Manhat-
tan, where he inspired Jacob Lawrence,
Jack Levine, and the Walt Kuhn estate to
join Midtown Payson’s esteemed stable
of artists including Paul Cadmus, Isabel
Bishop, and William Thon, among others.
Payson attended Bowdoin College in
Brunswick, Maine, and received a B.A.
from Pepperdine University in Malibu,
California, in 1966. Later, he was awarded
an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the
Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine,
and an Honorary Doctor of Laws at Pep-
perdine University.
He followed his family’s tradition of
philanthropy. His mother, Joan Whitney
Payson, founder and owner of the New
York Mets, bequeathed part of her art col-
lection to Payson upon her death in 1975.
Payson, in turn, donated many significant
works, such as Renoir’s
Confidences
and
Prendergast’s
Rhododendrons: Boston
Public Gardens
, to the Portland Museum
of Art in Portland, Maine. In 1987 he sold
vVan Gogh’s
Irises
, allowing him to estab-
lish the Joan Whitney and Charles Ship-
man Payson Charitable Foundation. The
foundation, with a mission of supporting
maritime heritage and the arts in the state
of Maine, has given funds support to many
institutions, including the Maine Maritime
Museum in Bath, Maine, and the Skow-
hegan School of Painting and Sculpture in
Skowhegan, Maine, and New York City.
Payson’s indefatigable interest in the
arts led him to serve on a number boards,
including the Portland Museum of Art;
the Williamstown Art Conservation Cen-
ter, Williamstown, Massachusetts; and
the President’s Advisory Committee on
the Arts at the Kennedy Center, Wash-
ington, D.C. He was involved with the
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculp-
ture for many years, and he served as chair
of the board of trustees from 1981 to 1988.
In Florida he was a fierce advocate for
the arts and other civic endeavors. Previ-
ously he served on the board of governors
of the Florida ArtsPAC, as a member and
vice chair of the Florida Arts Council, on
the exhibition committee for the planning
of the new Elliott Museum building on
Hutchinson Island in Stuart, Florida, and
on the Ocean Research and Conservation
Association in Fort Pierce, Florida. In 2014
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner
appointed Payson Ambassador for Florida
Arts. Recently Payson served as a member
of the Jupiter Island Arts Council, a mem-
ber of the Jupiter Island Historical Society,
and as chair of the Town of Jupiter Island’s
Local Planning Association. As vice chair
of Citizens for Florida Arts, he was the
principal organizer of the conference
“Convening Culture 2014, Connecting the
Arts with Environmental Conservation.”
In 2013 Payson’s dedication to the arts
and his love of vintage cars combined
when he organized Jupiter Island’s partner-
ship with the state of Florida’s celebration
of its 500th anniversary, VIVAFlorida 500,
by organizing several festivities on the
island, including a vintage car show. It was
not the first time his civic engagement and
enthusiasm for classic cars united. In 2008
he was the founding chair of the 100 Years
of Cars show at the Pine School in Hobe
Sound, Florida, for the benefit of scholar-
ships for military families.
He enjoyed wing shooting, fishing, sail-
ing, and motorsports. He lived on Jupiter
Island for 45 years, the last 31 with his
wife, Joanne.
In addition to his wife, Joanne, Payson
is survived by his daughters Joan Whit-
ney Payson and Heather Lee Payson; son,
Charles Sherwood Payson; three grand-
children; and sisters Payne Middleton of
New York City and Lorinda de Roulet of
Long Island, New York.
Donations may be made to the Skow-
hegan School of Painting and Sculpture,
136 West 22nd Street, New York, NY
10011; the Owls Head Transportation
Museum, 117 Museum Street, PO Box
277, Owls Head, ME 04854; or to the
Martin County Council of the Arts, 80
Southeast Ocean Boulevard, Stuart, FL
34994.
JILL R. LUKESH
Jill Lukesh of Townsend, Massachu-
setts, passed away on November 6 due to
complications from a recent heart attack.
She was born in Springfield, Massachu-
setts, and grew up in Brimfield, a daugh-
ter of Madelyn and Gordon Reid, an auc-
tioneer. She graduated from Framingham
State University in Massachusetts and
taught middle school for several years
until, in 1975, she and her sister, Judy,
operated the J & J Promotions outdoor
antiques show, originally started by their
father in 1959, at their field, Auction
Acres, in Brimfield.
Lukesh is survived by her husband of
49 years, Pete; pug, Nemo; and tabby cat,
Einstein.
Per her wishes, there will be no calling
hours or service. In lieu of flowers, please
consider a contribution in her name to a
local animal rescue organization.
KURT E. SCHON
Kurt Ernst Schon, 94, died at his New
Orleans French Quarter residence on Octo-
ber 12. Schon was an esteemed member of
the international art community and had an
illustrious career as a dealer in fine art for
over 60 years. Together with his beloved
wife, Anita, they created the largest gallery
of 19th-century art in the South.
He was born in Vienna, Austria in 1922,
the son of Joan Schwartz Schon and Jacob
Schon. He attended the Therasanium
Academy in Vienna. Schon immigrated
to New Orleans with his family in 1941.
He was known for his Viennese charm
and signature homburg hat. His adopted
home of New Orleans became the city he
loved, and he often declared that had he
not found New Orleans, he could have
soon returned to Austria.
Schon will be remembered for his
promotion of post-World War II French,
English, German, and Austrian art early
in his career. But he will be best remem-
bered for his recognition and revival of
19th-century academic art. Later, follow-
ing in the tradition of such legendary art
dealers as Gambart and Duveen, Schon
inspired American art lovers to collect
“the best of the best” of 19th-century
European art. His firm was best known
for creating museum-worthy art collec-
tions, including those that were shown in
the National Gallery of Art, as well as in
prestigious museums throughout Amer-
ica. He loved art and people.
He often quipped he would have
achieved nothing without his wife, Anita,
whom he credited with having “organized”
him. His personal philosophy for the col-
lection of art was simply “to always buy
what you love.” He believed that “people
were the torchbearers of the legacy of art,
which was meant to be loved, enjoyed,
and preserved for future generations.” The
Schons created the Schon Foundation in
support of their other charities, including
their generous support of the New Orleans
Center for Creative Arts.
An early advocate for historic renova-
tion in the French Quarter, Schon brought
the same unerring eye for quality to the
numerous properties he restored. He
loved America, thought it to be the great-
est country in the world, and often said
it was a place where if you had a dream,
you could be a success with hard work.
He continued to be active in his business
until a week before his death.
Schon served in the U.S. Army during
World War II and is listed in
Who’s Who
in America
. He was a longtime member
of the Shir Chadash Conservative Con-
gregation in Metairie, New Orleans.
He was preceded in death by his par-
ents and sister, Lillian Schon Small. He
is survived by his wife of 63 years, Anita
Novak Schon; his daughter from his first
marriage, Sylvia; two granddaughters; five
great-grandchildren; one great-great-grand-
son; niece, Cindy Small; and dearest family
friend Stacy Ferro and her two children.