Kenneth R. Nunamaker

(American, 1890-1957)

Barn by the Brook (Glenside)

oil on canvas

signed K R NUNAMAKER (lower left); also signed and titled in pencil (stretcher)

28 x 32 in.

Property from the Collection of Renny Reynolds

Housed in a signed Thomas Hugo Williams (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) frame.

Lot Note:

Closely associated with Edward Redfield and Daniel Garber in New Hope and Center Bridge, Pennsylvania, Kenneth Nunamaker equally borrowed from the former’s blustery brushwork and the latter’s lyrical touch. Through a profuse palette and thick application of paint, Nunamaker draws attention to the materiality of his paintings, a visual echo to the palpable richness of the landscapes they depict, surging back to life after winter. Flowing waters and fleshy greenery fill Barn by the Brook (Glenside) and Early Spring (Lot 27) with overwhelming charm.

In both works, the gaze follows winding paths and streams receding into the distance or beyond the confines of the paintings. Nunamaker portrays the Bucks County countryside as a site of meandering and continuous observation. In doing so, he elevates representation beyond the pictorial, suggesting a mood, a state of mind. The carefree stroll morphs into a stream of consciousness, an alluring liberation from the rigid tethers of everyday life.

Both paintings display markers of human life, such as barns and cottages. Though they are explicitly part and parcel of each landscape, they also appear deserted—the shutters are closed—and they are strategically placed at a distance or off center, as if to suggest that the path to follow is around them, not to them. Nunamaker’s paintings serve as invitations to take in the present moment and let it flourish into a joyful and harmonious escapade.

The lined canvas in very good condition. Few, scattered areas of loss upper left and right, generally unobtrusive. Additional areas of exposed canvas across lower quarter of composition. Otherwise, extensive areas of nicely preserved impasto throughout. UV: areas of exposed canvas more apparent. Additional images available upon request.

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Please email paulinearchambault@hindmanauctions.com for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

Alasdair Nichol

EVP, Deputy Chairman

anichol@freemansauction.com 267.414.1211

Alasdair Nichol is Deputy Chairman of Freeman's. He previously served as Chairman of Freeman's, and he and two colleagues acquired the company in a friendly management buy-out in 2016.

He joined Freeman’s in 1999, and as an auctioneer of almost 30 years, has sold many significant collections, including The George D. Horst Collection of Fine Art, The Lehman Brothers Collection, The Collection of Dorrance "Dodo" H. Hamilton, The Stanley Bard Collection: A Life at the Chelsea, and numerous works that set new world auction records. He was instrumental in establishing Freeman’s departmental fine sales and has spearheaded the company’s mission of showcasing single-owner collections.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, he studied fine art at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen. He later graduated with a master's degree from the University of Ulster in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1985, he embarked on his career in the auction world in Edinburgh before moving to Glasgow, where he organized the first sale of Scottish contemporary art at the world-renowned Glasgow School of Art. He subsequently moved to a flagship saleroom in London where he specialized in Modern and Impressionist art before transferring to New York as Head of Fine Art in 1997. Since 1998 he has been a familiar face on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Adam Veil

VP, Head of Department, American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

adamveil@freemansauction.com 267.414.1221

Adam Veil serves as Vice President and a Fine Art Specialist at Freeman’s.

Veil joined Freeman’s in 2021 following years of experience in both the auction world and the academy. His area of specialization is pre-WWII American Art, although he has lectured and published on topics ranging from Mexican landscape painting and Old Master printmaking to art market economics.

Veil earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in art history from Penn State University and pursued doctoral studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to joining Freeman’s, Veil was Head of Fine Art at a Washington, D.C.-area auction house, and Executive Director of the Santa Fe Art Auction, where he oversaw market-setting auctions of classical and contemporary Western, Southwestern, and California art. He has also held positions in provenance research, art fair operations, and as editor and producer of The Conversation, a popular Los Angeles–based contemporary art podcast. Concurrent with his role at Freeman’s, Veil is a professor at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses in Renaissance, Modern, and American art history.

Garden Party: The Collection of Renny Reynolds

Barn by the Brook (Glenside)

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