BROCK & CO.

10/18/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18XxL7YnAc/?mibextid=wwXIfr

10/14/2026

I had the pleasure of seeing this show in June 2026…

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanneshurvell/2026/10/12/why-this-french-art-museum-is-celebrating-american-art/?fbclid=IwdGRleAU8odFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBWZkaWQWUQSLB10hiJFEo5WPDg8Jc8f9ZI_QUnNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR70Isn3Hxyvvgy-KyFTW637iR7Jym4Hpj_FDe2hR9YNtL7jGZ4FeyTvPBvcyg_aem_43v6nAp4RYY9vCxYCeqmJA

As the U.S. celebrates 250 years of independence, a French museum is exploring how American artists transformed modern art and how ideas crossed the Atlantic to shape it.

10/11/2026

A nice piece on my friend John Axelrod, who was murdered this past January….miss his friendship and counsel often…💔

https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/news/in-memoriam-top-art-collectors-remembrances-agnes-gund-1234800494/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAU4bj1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBWZkaWQWUQFa-arRYKoiYlkzlVhEjQUUoe7YlnNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR7FdB3hjHgICaJ_UDICEIhuQlIoKVclWl0y2wbCk3BROqKj-WXFoDDlWWDz2w_aem_8rSxCLHnxzknWgEu_pQk2Q

Curators and fellow collectors remember top collectors who died between 2025–26, from Agnes Gund to Dorothy Vogel to John P. Axelrod.

10/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CVq7zCgSW/?mibextid=wwXIfr

From a refugee fleeing the N**is… to one of the greatest ceramic artists of the 20th century.

This is the story of Lucie Rie.

Born in Vienna in 1902, she studied ceramics from a young age and quickly established herself as a talented artist.

But in 1938, her life changed completely… After the N**i annexation of Austria, Lucie, who was Jewish, was forced to flee to Britain, leaving behind her home and artistic career.

Life in London was not easy. During the war, she made ceramic buttons and fashion accessories to support herself, while continuing to pursue her art.

Then, in 1941, she lost her husband… But she refused to stop.

She continued developing her distinctive style—elegant, minimalist ceramics with delicate glazes and striking colors—eventually becoming one of the most celebrated ceramic artists in the world.

She was later made a Dame in recognition of her contribution to British art.

Lucie Rie died in 1995 at the age of 93… but her work continues to inspire artists around the world.

Have you ever seen Lucie Rie’s work before? 🌷

09/26/2026

👏 interviewed by 🙌🏻

Helen Frankenthaler reflects on the evolution of her work and prese...

08/19/2026

WALTER GRANVILLE-SMITH
Equestrian Event, Madison Square Garden, c. 1900
Watercolor and gouache on paperboard
16 x 12 inches
Signed at lower left: W. Granville-Smith

Walter Granville-Smith was a pivotal figure in the transition of American art from the golden age of periodical illustration to early 20th-century Academic realism. Born in South Granville, New York, Granville-Smith’s artistic sensibilities were forged during a time of immense economic growth and social stratification in America. He received early training from Walter Satterlee and later honed his draftsmanship at the Art Students League of New York under notable masters Willard Metcalf and James Carroll Beckwith. To finish his academic development, he traveled to Europe to study at the renowned Académie Julian in Paris.

For art historians, Granville-Smith represents a key link in the history of American print culture, credited with producing the first colored magazine illustration in the United States for Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1893. His highly sophisticated work quickly became a staple of major publications, including Harper’s, Scribner’s, Century, and Collier’s. In the later decades of his career, he successfully transitioned from commercial illustration to fine art, earning the prestigious designation of National Academician and serving as president of the Salmagundi Club from 1924 to 1926. Today, his impressionistic landscapes, genre scenes, and marine paintings are held in esteemed public institutions such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Toledo Museum of Art, and the National Academy of Design.

His painting Madison Square Garden perfectly encapsulates the market-favored intersection of high-society genre illustration and Gilded Age social documentation. Rather than focusing on the equestrian action in the ring, Granville-Smith shifts his perspective to the elite spectators, rendering the intricate textures of top hats, grand millinery, and formal evening wear with an observational precision that brings the era to life. This ability to capture New York's elite at leisure makes his social scenes highly desirable.

07/23/2026

Walter Parsons Shaw Griffin (1861–1935) was a master of American Impressionism whose career was defined by his extensive travels and deep artistic ties to France. Over a lifetime spanning seven decades, he spent more than twenty-three years capturing the European landscape, synthesizing classical European academic training with a uniquely American plein-air vitality.

Born in Portland, Maine, Griffin was immersed in craftsmanship early through his father, a professional carver of ship figureheads. After honing his skills on the Boston State House decorative sculptures, he earned scholarships to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and later the National Academy of Design in New York. In New York, witnessing Durand-Ruel’s landmark 1886 Impressionist exhibition profoundly altered his artistic path.

Driven to study the roots of this artistic revolution, Griffin moved to Paris in 1887. He enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Colarossi, studying under masters like Jean-Paul Laurens and Raphaël Collin. By 1889, his classical mastery was rewarded with an exhibition at the prestigious Paris Salon.

Seeking the direct truth of nature, Griffin left Paris to explore the countryside. He frequented the legendary artists' colonies of Grez-sur-Loing and Barbizon, and ultimately settled in Fleury-en-Bière. In Fleury, he befriended the local painter François Millet (son of Jean-François Millet) and sustained himself by operating a successful summer painting school for American students. A financial windfall from a US exhibition later enabled a three-year stay on the rugged Brittany coast, where his focus shifted toward a brightened, naturalist approach to outdoor light.

Email from Brock & Co.   WALTER GRIFFIN (1961-1935) French Countryside, c. 1890s Oil on canvas 10 1/2 x 18 inches Signed and inscribed at lower right: W. GRIFFIN France $8,500.00 Walter Parsons Shaw

03/26/2026

MARY ABBOTT (1921-2019)
Untitled, n.d.
Watercolor on paper
4 x 6 inches
Initialed at lower right: A
Signed verso: M. / Abbott

Mary Abbott was a towering figure of the Abstract Expressionist movement, though her contributions were long overshadowed by her male contemporaries. A key member of the “New York School,” she was one of the few women invited to join The Club, the exclusive intellectual heart of the art world in the 1940s and 50s.

Abbott’s work is defined by its rhythmic energy and physical intensity. Unlike the somber tones of some peers, her canvases often erupted with vibrant, botanical colors—pinks, yellows, and lush greens. This was largely inspired by her time spent in St. Croix and Haiti. She didn’t just paint landscapes; she translated the feeling of nature into sweeping, gestural brushstrokes.

Abbott’s artistic approach seamlessly integrated gestural abstraction, which prioritized the physical “action” of painting through bold and urgent movements, with a masterful use of lyrical color to evoke light and bridge the gap between abstraction and nature. Beyond the canvas, her collaborative spirit drove her to work alongside avant-garde poets like Frank O’Hara, effectively blending visual and literary arts to push the boundaries of modern creative expression.

In an era that often sidelined female artists, Abbott remained fiercely committed to her vision. She viewed the canvas as a space for spontaneous discovery. Today, her legacy is being rediscovered by historians who recognize her not just as a contemporary of Willem de Kooning, but as a primary architect of American abstraction. Her paintings remain a testament to the power of bold movement and the enduring pulse of nature.



DM or email us at [email protected] for more information

03/26/2026

MARY ABBOTT (1921-2019)
Untitled, n.d.
Watercolor on paper
4 x 6 inches
Initialed at lower left and lower right: A
Signed verso: M. Abbott

Mary Abbott was a towering figure of the Abstract Expressionist movement, though her contributions were long overshadowed by her male contemporaries. A key member of the “New York School,” she was one of the few women invited to join The Club, the exclusive intellectual heart of the art world in the 1940s and 50s.

Abbott’s work is defined by its rhythmic energy and physical intensity. Unlike the somber tones of some peers, her canvases often erupted with vibrant, botanical colors—pinks, yellows, and lush greens. This was largely inspired by her time spent in St. Croix and Haiti. She didn’t just paint landscapes; she translated the feeling of nature into sweeping, gestural brushstrokes.

Abbott’s artistic approach seamlessly integrated gestural abstraction, which prioritized the physical “action” of painting through bold and urgent movements, with a masterful use of lyrical color to evoke light and bridge the gap between abstraction and nature. Beyond the canvas, her collaborative spirit drove her to work alongside avant-garde poets like Frank O’Hara, effectively blending visual and literary arts to push the boundaries of modern creative expression.

Today, her legacy is being rediscovered by historians who recognize her not just as a contemporary of Willem de Kooning, but as a primary architect of American abstraction. Her paintings remain a testament to the power of bold movement and the enduring pulse of nature.



DM or email us at [email protected] for more information

03/26/2026

MARY ABBOTT (1921-2019)
Untitled, n.d.
Watercolor on paper
4 1/8 x x 5 7/8 inches
Initialed at lower right: M.A.
Signed verso: Mary Abbott

Mary Abbott was a towering figure of the Abstract Expressionist movement, though her contributions were long overshadowed by her male contemporaries. A key member of the “New York School,” she was one of the few women invited to join The Club, the exclusive intellectual heart of the art world in the 1940s and 50s.

Abbott’s work is defined by its rhythmic energy and physical intensity. Unlike the somber tones of some peers, her canvases often erupted with vibrant, botanical colors—pinks, yellows, and lush greens. This was largely inspired by her time spent in St. Croix and Haiti. She didn’t just paint landscapes; she translated the feeling of nature into sweeping, gestural brushstrokes.

Abbott’s artistic approach seamlessly integrated gestural abstraction, which prioritized the physical “action” of painting through bold and urgent movements, with a masterful use of lyrical color to evoke light and bridge the gap between abstraction and nature. Beyond the canvas, her collaborative spirit drove her to work alongside avant-garde poets like Frank O’Hara, effectively blending visual and literary arts to push the boundaries of modern creative expression.

In an era that often sidelined female artists, Abbott remained fiercely committed to her vision. She viewed the canvas as a space for spontaneous discovery. Today, her legacy is being rediscovered by historians who recognize her not just as a contemporary of Willem de Kooning, but as a primary architect of American abstraction. Her paintings remain a testament to the power of bold movement and the enduring pulse of nature.