ALFRED THOMPSON BRICHER
American (1837-1908)
Summer Pond, Southampton
oil on canvas, signed lower left "A.T. Bricher"
22 x 40 inches

Provenance: Private Collection, Washington D.C.; Private Collection, Connecticut; Shannon's Milford, Connecticut, May 1, 2014, Lot 57; Private Collection, Connecticut; Shannon's, Milford, Connecticut, October 26, 2017 lot 117; Private Collection, Connecticut.

Other Notes:
Today Alfred Thompson Bricher is widely appreciated by art historians for his mastery of Luminist realism alongside the slightly older generation of Hudson River School painters Fitz Hugh Lane, Sanford R. Gifford, Martin Johnson Heade, and John F. Kensett. As a luminist painter, he was predominately interested in the pictorial effects of light and translucency. It is always possible to ascertain such specifics as the time of day, weather conditions, and geography in his work, yet his paintings manifest a spiritual quality that was an important component of Hudson River School painting.

Following a second marriage in 1881, Bricher built a summer home and studio at Southampton, Long Island. "Here he interpreted the expansive coast and quaint village areas in paintings displayed at annual exhibitions from 1882 until 1894. He painted all along the south shore of Long Island showed views of rugged Montauk Point at the eastern tip of rugged Montauk Point at the eastern tip between 1882 and 1885; Water Mills, adjacent to Southampton from 1882 to 1888; Patchogue and Blue Point on Great South Bay protected from the Atlantic by Fire Island from 1886-91; and further west, Freeport and Far Rockaway from 1888 to 1891, and Wantagh in 1893." 1

He later made his home at New Dorp, Staten Island, while maintaining a studio in New York City until the end of his life. By that date, 1908, Bricher's career had spanned a period of momentous evolution in American art, indeed from the era of the Hudson River School to the imminent appearance of Synchromism, or color abstraction. It is little wonder, then, that when Bricher died at New Dorp on September 30, 1908, his obituary in Art News) commented, "[Bricher] did not receive the notice in the press that the artist's ability and reputation deserved"—a sentiment shared by today's finest scholars of American nineteenth-century painting.

Today works by Bricher are to be found in the permanent collections of many of America's most prestigious museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Wadsworth Atheneum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the White House, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Carnegie Museum.

1 Alfred Thompson Bricher, 1837-1908, by Jeffrey R. Brown, assisted by Ellen W. Lee, 1973
Portions of this essay courtesy of Hollis-Taggart Galleries

tags: 19th century, Long Island, oil painting, landscape

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CONDITIONS OF SALE
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VA and remit the appropriate sales tax. If we do not collect sales
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ALL ITEMS MUST BE PAID FOR WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE SALE, AT WHICH POINT THEY WILL BE RELEASED FOR SHIPMENT OR DELIVERY.

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A premium of 25% of the successful bid will be applied to the
individual hammer price of all lots sold, to be paid by the buyer
as part of the purchase price. Purchases made through
Invaluable will be subject to an additional 5% charge (30%
total buyer's premium) and purchases made online through
shannons.com will be subject to an additional 2% charge
(27% buyer's premium). Payment may be made by, check,
ACH or wire transfer. Visa, MasterCard and Amex may
be used up to the amount of $5,000 per auction. We currently
collect sales tax in CT, KS, MA, MI, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI and
VA and remit the appropriate sales tax. If we do not collect sales
tax in your state, it is still your responsibility to pay the proper tax
on your purchases.
ALL ITEMS MUST BE PAID FOR WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE SALE, AT WHICH POINT THEY WILL BE RELEASED FOR SHIPMENT OR DELIVERY.

Taxes on your purchase

We currently collect sales tax in CT, KS, MA, MI, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI and
VA and remit the appropriate sales tax. If we do not collect sales
tax in your state, it is still your responsibility to pay the proper tax
on your purchases.
ALL ITEMS MUST BE PAID FOR WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE SALE, AT WHICH POINT THEY WILL BE RELEASED FOR SHIPMENT OR DELIVERY.

Condition Statement & Glossary of Terms

Shannon's LLC Fine Art Auctioneers acts solely as an agent for various owners and consignors. It exercises care in describing all items listed and uses judgment in attributing authorship, but offers no guarantee regarding authenticity, condition, or description. The items described in this catalog, which description may be amended by notice or announcement at sale time, are offered for sale by Shannon's LLC as agent for various owners or others authorized to sell the items.

Glossary of Terms:
After:A work of art or object made in the style of an artist or maker, but not by the artist. Sometimes refers multiples that may have used an artist's mold or plate, but were reproduced by someone other than the artist, including posthumous works. Can also be used to describe a direct reproduction after an original work of art.
Attributed (attr.):In our opinion, probably or possibly a work of art by the artist. The work is either unsigned, and/or lacks adequate provenance or authentication by experts in the field.
Bears Signature: The work is signed, but the work and signature may not be by the hand of the artist.
Manner of: Made in the likeness or style of an artist, with a slight possibility that it was made by the artist or by a follower or student of the artist. Also see "After" and "Attributed".
Possibly:Being something that may or may not be true or actual without guarantee.
Probably:Supported by evidence strong enough to establish presumption but not proof. We do not guarantee it to be true.
School:Usually relates to a particular artistic or aesthetic movement. It can also relate to an actual school or to followers of a particular artist or maker. Also see:"Manner of", "Style", "Attributed to" and "After".
Style:After the time period in which the style originated, or a more recent reproduction (ie: Style of Pablo Picasso or Cubist Style), used to refer to the style of a particular artist or artistic movement, generally made long after that time period.