Journal

A new generation of collectors — much like today’s major collectors of illustration art — is gravitating toward the characters and visual language they grew up with. Just as Steven Spielberg collected Norman Rockwell for his connection to American storytelling, younger collectors are drawn to cartoon-like figures, super-heroes, and iconic characters such as Hello Kitty.

Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara leads this movement, but his prices place him beyond reach for many. The genre, however, is expanding with other artists creating emotionally layered, symbolically rich work beneath seemingly innocent features.

One artist capturing our attention is Spanish painter Edgar Plans. His “Animal Heroes” blend playful forms with themes of social justice, community, and shared humanity. We see this entire movement as one that will continue to evolve, solidify, and earn its place in art history — with strong long-term potential.

Singier’s Portrait Flammand is a fascinating blend of homage and satire. Referencing Flemish Golden Age portraiture, the work carries regal formality mixed with playful exaggeration, particularly through the bright orange, almost pumpkin-like head. The result is a piece with humor, gravity, and striking presence.

European postwar abstraction continues to offer remarkable value compared to its American counterparts. Movements such as Tachisme, Lyrical Abstraction, Abstract-Creation, and the Group Informel produced exceptional works by artists like Simon Hantaï, Pierre Soulages, and Serge Poliakoff — all of whom are gaining stronger recognition among American collectors.

Within this landscape, Singier’s Portrait Flammand feels like a sleeper — a work with historical resonance, visual wit, and staying power.

Jane Austen’s narratives remain timeless, and similarly, 19th-century art continues to captivate viewers with its emotional depth and craftsmanship. A newly acquired painting by Frank Russell Green, an American artist active in England, evokes scenes familiar from Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility. Each brushstroke reveals an artist of exceptional technical ability, despite the limited historical record about him.

The 19th century provides an abundance of depictions of women — in domestic spaces, at leisure, and in moments of emotional intimacy. This offers a compelling contrast with contemporary art, where motherhood is rarely explored. In the work of Francis Day and Lydia Field Emmet, motherhood appears as a sacred, serene subject. Male and female artists alike treated it as central to the human story. Today, while figurative painting has resurged, it is worth asking whether themes of motherhood will reemerge in contemporary practice.

We want to spotlight Lynn Davis’s monumental iceberg photographs created between 2000 and 2004. Two decades later, these works carry new layers of meaning as global conversations around climate and environmental change evolve.

Whether one interprets them through the lens of climate change or the natural transformation of the Arctic, the imagery remains powerful, serene, and conceptually rich. The series has begun to reappear on the secondary market, and we believe it will have an enduring place in the history of photography. The combination of aesthetic force and environmental resonance ensures continued relevance and inquiry.

Taylor Graham has long championed undervalued artists in the secondary market — and recent results affirm this instinct. Just before Thanksgiving, a single Vasa tower sold for a record $78,740 at a regional California auction. Interestingly, the piece was not in ideal condition, suggesting that eager bidders competed without full expertise, something we caution collectors against.

Vasa Mihich, whose work in acrylic resin began in the 1970s, was one of the most skilled artists working in this medium, aligned with the Light and Space movement. His brilliantly engineered, light-responsive forms feel increasingly contemporary in today’s design-forward interiors. We believe no comparable resin work will be produced again at this level, underscoring the lasting value of his pieces.

This is excellent news for collectors who have already acquired his work — and encouraging for the future trajectory of Mihich’s market.

Jasmina Danowski: Love Letters from Exile

Jasmina Danowski’s work has embodied a purity of approach over the years that is consistent and inspiring. Join us in admiring a curated selection of her works, on view from March 12th through April 14th.

Click here to view the virtual catalogue.

 

Danowski's art transports viewers into immersive floral landscapes and expansive spatial dimensions, drawing compelling parallels with artists such as Joan Mitchell. Rather than straightforwardly depicting natural and still-life elements, Danowski delves into the profound implications of her artistic process. Her work navigates the intricate balance between abstraction and representation, seamlessly merging the unity and individuality of forms. Through nuanced compositions, she invites contemplation on both explicit and suggested meanings, creating a rich tapestry of visual dialogue that resonates with profound artistic depth.

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1960, Jasmina Danowski is a mixed media abstract painter known for her exploration of color, texture, and mark on both panel and paper. Based in Brooklyn, NY, she works out of a studio, employing a process-oriented and physical approach to her art. Using long and wide brushes, she creates vibrant compositions directly on the floor, drawing on influences from calligraphy, abstract expressionism, and natural imagery.

In her work, Danowski evokes sensations of immersion in floral landscapes or spatial dimensions, reminiscent of artists like Joan Mitchell. She suggests rather than directly depicts natural and still life elements, delving into the implications of her process to strike a balance between abstraction and representation, unity and individuality of forms, and explicit versus suggested meanings.

Danowski holds a B.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute (1990) and an M.F.A. from Bard College, New York (1997). She is a recipient of two Pollock-Krasner awards (2001, 2005) and has exhibited her work at prestigious venues such as the Boston Center for the Arts, Mississippi Museum of Art, and Spanierman Modern in New York. Her pieces are also housed in collections at institutions like the Mississippi Museum of Art and Westfield State University.

 

The Straggler III, 2024, vinyl on paper, 22 x 30 inches