65 Sharp Street
Hingham, MA 02043
United States
Copley Fine Art Auctions is the world's leading American sporting art auction company. Located in Hingham, MA, Copley specializes in antique decoys and 19th- and 20th-century American, sporting, and wildlife paintings. Principal Stephen O'Brien Jr., a fourth-generation sportsman with a refined colle...Read more
Two ways to bid:
Price | Bid Increment |
---|---|
$0 | $50 |
$1,000 | $100 |
$2,500 | $250 |
$5,000 | $500 |
$10,000 | $1,000 |
$25,000 | $2,500 |
$50,000 | $5,000 |
Jul 27, 2017 - Jul 28, 2017
Robert Verity Clem (1933-2010) Sanderlings and Piping Plover
signed "Robert Verity Clem" lower left
watercolor, 9 1/2 by 6 1/2 in.
Robert Verity Clem was a New England artist based in Chatham, Massachusetts. He was self-taught but heavily influenced by the work of Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874-1927). He published his definitive work, “The Shorebirds of North America,” in 1967.
“Sanderlings and Piping Plover” is a nice early work with large-figure birds boldly pictured. Later in Clem’s career, he focused more on the landscapes, and birds became smaller elements. He was known for the exactitude of his detail and the sparseness of his pallet.
Clem was a trustee of the Chatham Conservation Foundation and had multiple shows at the Mass Audubon Visual Arts Center in Canton, Massachusetts. He died in 2010. Amy Montague of Mass Audubon notes, “If there were a pantheon of bird artists, Robert Verity Clem would be there.” She continues, “He is almost universally acknowledged as ranking among the greatest artists to focus on birds.”
Provenance: Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection
Literature: Tim Wood, "Artist Clem Remembered For Ability To Capture 'Essence" Of Birds," Cape Cod Chronicle, September 23, 2010.
Condition report requests can be made via email or by telephone (info@copleyart.com or 617.536.0030). Any condition statement given is a courtesy to customers, Copley will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition.
Shipping info