Freeman’s | Hindman is honored to present the sale of the Collection of Dr. Richard J. Wattenmaker on September 22, 2024. Comprised of American and European Fine Art, Furniture and Decorative Arts, the single-owner event will pay tribute to the Philadelphia author, teacher, and scholar's eclectic taste and extensive knowledge.

Richard J. Wattenmaker was often described as an art savant. Born in Philadelphia in 1941, he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania in 1963, while also studying at the Barnes Foundation under Violette de Mazia. He continued his education at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, where he received his MA and PhD. Starting his career as the Director of Rutgers University Art Gallery, Wattenmaker subsequently became the Chief Curator of Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario, Director of the Chrysler Museum, and Director at the Flint Institute of Arts. Wattenmaker also worked as the Director of the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art for seventeen years, and taught at the Barnes Foundation, where a yearly scholarship is still offered in his name.

Throughout his career, he oversaw major shows and lectures dedicated to many of the artists for whom he would eventually become the leading reference, such as William Glackens, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, brothers Maurice and Charles Prendergast, as well as Jean Hugo, great grandson of poet and novelist Victor Hugo, whom Wattenmaker and his wife Eva knew personally and regularly visited in the South of France. The sale also includes fine redware and stoneware examples, Fraktur, a painted and decorated blanket chest, an important pair of pewter chargers, and a significant selection of American and European Ironwork, including utensil racks with accompanying utensils, several steeple cocks, and multiple mounts.

Highlights Exhibition:
Sept 3-5 (included), 10am-4pm
32 E 67th Street, NYC, NY.

Full Sale Exhibition
Sept 13-22nd, 10am-5pm (daily).
2400 Market St, Philadelphia, PA.

Live / Philadelphia