At Alex Cooper we consistently strive to offer exceptional pieces to our collectors. I am fortunate to be in the position to handle amazing works of art everyday but there is that one piece every auction that just makes me pause. This auction I am over the moon about the Stephen Scott Young we have (lot 904).
Young, born in Hawaii, is best known for his watercolors and etchings depicting life along the US east coast and the islands of the Bahamas. He is considered a great American Realist and gives elegant treatment to his scenes of everyday life.
The watercolor offered in our March 3rd auction, “Study for Scarecrow,” is a lovely example of his style showing a man with a pail at the entrance of his unassuming cottage. The piece is tranquil and the refined style adds importance to the seemingly simple subject. Art historian, Henry Adams, said of Young in the late 1980’s, “ He is like one of those prospectors who has gone back to the tailings of an abandoned mine and where others saw only useless rocks found quantities of untapped, undiscovered gold. ”
For more information on any of the lots or to discuss consigning art with Alex Cooper please contact me:
Kathleen Hamill
Director, Modern & Contemporary Art