Dogging the Orange County Museum's surprise Redmond sale

Today's news that the Orange County Museum of Art surreptitiously sold 18 of its 20 early California plein-air paintings for a relatively modest price to an undisclosed private collector in Laguna Beach is remarkable on many levels. Not least is the private sale's clear deviance from professional standards for deaccessioning that guide the Assn. of Art Museum Directors.

The AAMD handbook states: "Preferred methods of disposal are sale through publicly advertised auction, sale to or exchange with another public institution, and sale or exchange to a reputable, established dealer." Private transactions with an anonymous local collector don't get mentioned. Why? The listed methods are there for the protection of vulnerable nonprofit art museums, which operate as public charities, by providing at least one layer of distance between buyer and seller. Art museums aren't commercial galleries.

While we're puzzling all this out, here's a slight diversion. The star painting in the transaction is probably Granville Redmond's 1918 "Silver and Gold" (above), a rolling coastal landscape that Laguna Art Museum director Bolton Colburn described to The Times as “an A-plus, a perfect Redmond, one of the five best paintings he ever did.” The artist painted it the same year he appeared in his first Charlie Chaplin movie, "A Dog's Life."

Redmond, age 47 at his cinematic debut, wasn't an aspiring actor so much as an inspiration for Chaplin, who was in the process of refining a gestural repertoire for communicating on film without benefit of sound. Redmond was deaf, the result of childhood illness. He had learned sign-language (and much else) at the Berkeley School for the Deaf, and his expressive capacities were helpful to Chaplin -- who also admired his paintings.

Chaplin made "A Dog's Life" when he was wresting control of his own productions away from the companies for which he had worked. Redmond appeared in eight Chaplin films, usually uncredited, including 1931's classic "City Lights." (It was his last; the painter died in 1935). Below is a clip from "A Dog's Life," with Redmond cast as the crude, cigar-chomping dance-hall proprietor:

--Christopher Knight

Related story: OCMA sells paintings to private collector, prompting criticism

Credit: Laguna Art Museum

Comments

[mark salzberg]

this is a travesty and obviuosly doesn't smell right from every angle. I would pay 1million $'s easily for the large Redmond alone. These paintings should have been sold at a public auction if they need to be deassecioned. I'm a major collector of cal. plein aire and I'm disgusted by this unethical transaction. Who figured this deal ? Do any of the geniuses who sit on this board know how to use Askart.com? Reverse the deal and say your sorry and sell them publicly or put them back where they belong.

[Jim McKeehan]

ref. Museum's art sale criticized
Thank you for the forthright article. The OCMA has the appearance of being a front for money making for a select group. In my opinion, the last good exhibit was the childish paper and scissor work by Matise. This exibit was over a decade ago. I am surprised that they had early California Art of such great quality. They have never exhibited this art, they continue to exhibit "Art that will shock you". The one cridible quality of the OCMA is that they will refund your admittance if you insist on it. Orange County needs a museum that will show what people want to see. The Irvine Art Museum does show high quality art. I think further investigation of the OCMA should be done.

[Simon]

The group of 18 paintings sold are indeed exceptional. Beside the two major paintings by William Wendt and Granville Redmond, there are also major works by Guy Rose, Anna Hills, Jean Mannheim, and Clarence Hinkle's "Woman in the Hammock". All of these specific works could easily be on the cover of future publication on California Art.

I hope the Times will show some of these images in the next round of coverage instead of the Director's face shot. They are truly exceptional. The color of the Wendt image is way off, you can see a better image on ocma website. SPEAKING of which, OCMA still showing this group of arts as their collection on its website despite the sales was done in March. How trustworthy is this organization!!?

[rp]

There is obviously something going on between the director of ocma and the collector who purchased this work. will that collector donate money or land or other assets to the museum in the future? is that how he/she got away w/paying such an insignificant amount? kudos to la times for covering this, although i believe the name of the collector should be published. this is big stuff.

[Annon]

Can anyone interested in being involved with the OCMA ever feel secure in their ethics or standards now as long as the current Director remains? This is not the first time OCMA has displayed questionable ethical practices. One of their former curators, Irene Hoffman - now departed - mounted a major (and expensive) exhibition by Max Protech Gallery artist Inigo Manglano-Ovalle while having a romantic relationship with the gallery owner, Max Protech.

It seems to me that the current Director has no real idea what proper eticla standards should be and I would not be surprised if there is much more to the current story with regard to the sale of these artworks to a local "Mystery Collector" at a bargain price. I smell a kickback.