Continuing its foray into single-estate auctions, The Benefit Shop Foundation Inc. will present the Orentreich Foundation Art Collection auction on Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at 10 AM, featuring the market debut of a trove of artworks collected by the Manhattan and Cold Spring, NY-based foundation.

These artworks were collected over a period of decades by the organization’s founder. A portion of the sales proceeds are being donated to this biomedical/medical research foundation.

“I am thrilled to present this collection, which was carefully put together by the collector,” said Pam Stone, owner and founder of The Benefit Shop Foundation. “While the collector has a definite fondness for Haitian art, as seen here in artworks by several artists, the collection is very diverse overall in styles, covering a broad range from antique to modern, oils to sculptures to textile arts.”

The auction gets off and running with lot 1, a Jules Moigniez (1835-1895) signed bronze eagle statue ($500-2,000) depicting an eagle in mid-flight with one foot perched on a branch, 31-1/2 inches tall.

A small but choice grouping of Haitian art is led by a traditional Haitian folk art scene by Andre Normil, a signed oil painting on panel ($500-1,000), depicting a town full of people celebrating with music, food and games, 27-1/2 by 37-1/2 inches; a Gérard Valcin signed oil painting on panel ($500-1,000) of a murder of crows in a corn field, also done in the classic Haitian primitivism style, 32-1/2 by 44-1/4 inches; and from Haitian artist Salnave Phillippe-Auguste is a signed oil on board ($400-800) of vines growing a variety of brightly colored fruits and flowers, 25-1/3 by 21-1/8 inches.

The auction will send in the clowns with a selection of works by artist Bily Snel, known for his clown portrait paintings. Most are estimated at $200-600. Highlights include a watercolor of a simplistic clown with a red nose, 27-1/4 by 21 inches and an abstracted clown holding a glass, 29-1/8 by x 25-1/4 inches. Also by the artist is not a clown portrait but a striking abstract oil on canvas ($400-800) filled with thick black brushstrokes filled in with colorful accents. The work is inscribed on verso: “For Dr.Orentreich and Dr.Berger, This Side Up, Bily Snel 129 W. 69th NYC.”

Evincing the range of artworks on offer are a John Goodyear signed oil painting on panel ($200-600) from 1964 that shows a townhouse and a Victorian style home side by side in a winter setting, 19-1/2 by 23-1/2 inches, to a Miharu Lane signed acrylic painting on board ($100-500) of a woman and child in traditional Japanese kimono and dress amid festival lanterns, bamboo and snow, 24-1/4 by 21 inches.

Rounding out the auction will be an Asian embroidery on fabric depicting chickens amid flowers ($150-300), 48 by 14-1/2 inches, and an Akiba Emmanuel painting, “Under The Crab Apple Tree” ($400-800), which is an abstracted scene of figures in an interior, 52-5/8 by 33 inches.

Monthly sales here typically feature choice collections of antique, Midcentury Modern, brand furnishings, sterling, china, crystal, jewelry and fine art. With a mission of “to donate, to discover and to do good,” the foundation is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit and auction proceeds support community organizations. Consignors get a tax deduction, the buyer gets a great deal and local non-profits get much needed funds.

The auction gallery is at 185 Kisco Ave, Suite 201, Mount Kisco, NY. More information is available at www.thebenefitshop.org or (914) 864-0707.