About a year and a half ago collector Charles Triplett shared his painting, Blue Brazil, by Janet Gaynor with us, and so the email I received from Heritage Auction Galleries announcing the sale of The Collection of Paul Gregory and Janet Gaynor seemed especially relevant in continuing that story.
On March 20 Heritage will be auctioning a few hundred lots from the personal collection of Janet Gaynor and Paul Gregory, including several original paintings, other art objects, several books from their collection (many inscribed or with bookplates), plus a handful of paintings by Janet Gaynor herself, each with opening bids that should make them available to a wide range of collectors.
Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote about Janet Gaynor’s painting in the September 2009 article featuring Charles’ Blue Brazil:
At the time of the American Artist story in 1982, Janet Gaynor worked from her Palm Springs ranch where she lived with third husband Paul Gregory. Zalenko writes that garden flowers were her favorite subject at that time and that “most often, she paints ‘old-fashioned flowers like geraniums, petunias, and nasturtiums.’”
Since 1975, and at least up to the time of the article’s publication in 1982, Gaynor had had four sold-out shows at Wally Findlay Galleries, a deal which spawned from a successful show at the Beverly Hills gallery of her friend, Greg Juarez.
By this point Janet Gaynor had come to view herself as “a painter who occasionally acts.” When asked by Zalenko to compare painting to acting Gaynor replied, “Painting is a private art. Acting is outgoing.” She also mentions how movies take a good deal of time to complete, while painting offers more immediate satisfaction, and for her, an open schedule.
And so you see beyond being just a retired actress with a hobby, later in life Janet Gaynor actually earned an entirely new round of acclaim based on her merit as an artist. Her paintings in the Heritage auction are notable in that they do appear to be of her favored subjects.
1977 signed and dated program to Janet Gaynor show at Wally Findlay Galleries. Image courtesy of Charles Triplett.
The lots to look for at Heritage, each painted by Janet Gaynor:
- Lot 66007 – Roses in the Sun, circa 1975-77, Minimum Bid: $750
- Lot 66008 – My Love to You, Paul (White Petunias), circa 1977-78, Minimum Bid: $2,000
- Lot 66018 – Garden View of White Oleander, Petunias, and Geraniums, circa 1975, Minimum Bid: $1,000
- Lot 66019 – Still Life of Yellow Daisies and Green Apples, Minimum Bid: $750
- Lot 66033 – Cauliflower, Circa 1950, Minimum Bid: $750
- Lot 66034 – Papaya, Minimum Bid: $1,000
- Lot 66035 – Pink and Yellow Roses, Circa 1977, Minimum Bid: $750
- Lot 66036 – Primroses, 1967-68, Minimum Bid: $750
In addition to auctioning paintings by Janet herself, Heritage is also making available work by fine artists that were owned by Gaynor and Gregory as well as some Hollywood related pieces signed by Al Hirschfeld and a few paintings by Gaynor’s second husband, the famed Hollywood costume designer, Adrian.
Once more, The Collection of Paul Gregory and Janet Gaynor is open for bidding online at HA.com as of now and runs through March 20, 2011. Good luck!
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