Top o' the mountain to ya!

Vincent Van Gogh lived in Holland but if this beautiful impressionist painting is any indication, his family must have vacationed in the Swiss Alps. Check out the technique of our newest acquisition! Is it a Van Gogh? Hey, there's no harm in pretending is there?

Brouwer Grapes

Ok, I don't want the other museums to get too jealous but we may have an original Adriaen Brouwer on our hands. This pen and ink wash drawing is supposedly from the 17th century and has been attributed to Brouwer. I don't know if that's true but I'm sure not going to go to a lot of trouble to disprove it.

In my view, Brouwer is the man! He spent much of his time in alehouses of Flanders and Holland, drawing and painting all the drunks. (Hey, I live near Georgetown University! I should do the same!) His works are typically detailed and small, and often adopt themes of debauchery, drunkenness and foolishness in order to explore human emotions, expressions and responses to pain, fear and the senses. (Sounds like my neighborhood!)

I don't know if this is an actual Brouwer or not but if you think it is, I ain't gonna disagree with you. Especially if you're drunk and unruly.

O My Stade!!!

We have an actual Ostade! A genuine etching from a long damn time ago. I'm not gonna say it was made during his lifetime but I sure would like to believe that.

Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685) is a total artistic heavyweight. A contemporary of David Teniers the Younger and Adriaen Brouwer, he spent his life in deliniation of the homeliest subjects: tavern scenes, village fairs and country quarters. The people depicted by Ostade are short and ill-favoured, marked with adversity's stamp in feature and dress.

This piece is called "The Singers."

The Persian Wall Expansion Project 2010

Yes, art fans, it finally happened! The Persian Wall acquired two more ancient masterpieces and is now officially "The Persian Room." Travel back in time to ancient Persia as you gaze in wonderment on these two new, or should I say "ancient," relics from the past. On the right, is a miniature painting on mother of pearl depicting the ancient sport of Polo which (did you know?) was invented by the Persians. Below is a hooka scene on bone -- a rare find among Persian art collectors. But you don't need to worry about that. Just close your eyes and imagine an ancient time where people worshipped fire, water, wind, and earth. Yes, they did!!!

PINCH ME!!!

I'm sure many of you art fans have wondered about the painting that adores the bottom of each blog entry. Well, you guessed it! It's an original Saul Schary!!! Saul Schary was born in 1904 in Newark, New Jersey. He lived and worked in New York City and New Milford, Connecticut. Schary studied at the Art Students League, New York; the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and abroad in Paris. He was a member of the Artists Equity Association, New York City; the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (Fellow); the College Art Association of America, New York City; and the Royal Society of Artists, London. Schary exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City, 1932-45; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Annual, 1933-51; the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1942; Carnegie Institute, 1934-44; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California, 1942; Corcoran Gallery Biennial, Washington, D.C., 1945; Allied Artists of America Gallery, Los Angeles, California; and the Philadelphia Artists Alliance. In other words, folks, Schary is BIG STUFF and we are lucky to have snagged this masterpiece!!!!

INCREDIBLE!!!!!

We realize that this is the most exciting time of the year for most people but we at the Frank Mann Museum of Fine Arts (FMMOFA) are absolutely ecstatic over the acquisition of an original canvas oil by Frank Tauriello!!! Can you believe it!!! Frank Tauriello was born in New York and later settled in California. He graduated from Syracuse University and was a student at the Art Students League of New York under Frank J. Reilly, the famed illustrator. In California, he began focusing on portraiture and was an instructor and juror for the California Art Association and the American Society of Portrait Artists. Tauriello was a member of the Salmagundi Club of New York, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, and is on the Board Emeritus of The American Society of Portrait Artists. Most of his portraits are in private collections, including commissioned works by Merv Griffin and Clint Eastwood. Hey, can you imagine messing up Eastwood's portrait? I'd be afraid he would pull out that .357 magnum and fill me full of holes!

He's the MANN!

From the private collection of the artist himself, we present three fantastic Frank Manns, including two watercolors and one woodblock print. According to our curator, the first scene is from the magnificant city of Baltimore, depicting the inner harbour in all its glory. Next, this lighthouse portrait is probably from Maine and would put Edward Hopper to shame. Finally, the woodblock print, titled "Nags Head Study," is most likely a scene from Nags Head, N.C.

About the artist: Frank Mann was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1924, the son of a hard working oil executive. He began his career at an early age and continues to paint today. His work has been displayed at numerous galleries and art shows, including the Christmas Shop and Island Gallery in Manteo, N.C., which was founded by Edward Greene & Richard Lacerre and recently reopened to the surprise of millions!! (Above: A rare photograph of the artist as a young man.)