A painting should contain a mystery, but not for mystery’s sake: a mystery that is essential to reality.
Fairfield Porter painted The Door in 1959, during which t.mes “his art was in full stride, and he enjoyed recognition as one of the best figurative painters in America” (Fairfield Porter: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Watercolors and Pastels, New York, 2001, p. 39). Whether depicting landscapes or interiors, portraits or still lifes, Porter returned t.mes and again to the people and places he knew, namely his family and his home.
The Door depicts a dimly lit room in a home—empty save for darkly silhouetted furniture, an open door through which light pours and a mirror that reflects said light. On the other side of the door is a brightly colored, playfully patterned room that dramatically contrasts the present one. As with his most successful compositions, Porter expertly captures the play of light and shadow in the scene to a compelling, even mysterious effect.
[Porter’s] paintings convey a strong sense of place and presence, but for him the literal transcription of what he saw before him was beside the point. The actual subject was of little concern; rather it was in the paint itself that he found the life, the vitality, and the wholeness of the painting. He understood that the difference between realism and abstraction is not as simple as it seems… Porter determined the relations and connections between things, and for him it was these relations that were the vital elements in a painting
Highlighted by David Park’s Figures with Rowboat from 1956 and Fairfield Porter’s Girl on a Swing from 1961, the Blinken collects ion thoughtfully explores the nuances of representational and abstract art from the last sixty years. From the immediacy and freshness of the works on paper by Paul Wonner to the bold mixed media garden painting by Jennifer Bartlett, this intimate collects ion encapsulates the thoughtful and discerning eye of Ambassador Alan Blinken and his beloved wife of 51 years, Melinda Blinken.
Ambassador Blinken served as the United States Ambassador to Belgium from 1993-1998. Until his appointment as Ambassador, he was a Partner and Managing Director of Wertheim Schroder & Co., Inc. in New York City. He also served as a member of the New York State Economic Development Zone Commission and New York City Community Board 8. He and his wife were dedicated New Yorkers and devoted philanthropists. He was a board member of the Center for National Policy, the International Crisis Group, the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens, and the African Medical and Research Foundation. He was Chairman of the Washington Center for 17 years and a board member of the National Wildlife Federation and the New York Public Library. The late Melinda Koch Blinken epitomized New York elegance. She was a trustee and founding docent at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and served in multiple capacities throughout her storied life with the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Meridian House International, Heinz Center for Biodiversity, and the Advisory Board of the Evelyn Lauder Breast Cancer Foundation, among others.
Sotheby’s is honored to present works of art and jewelry from the Blinken collects
ion across a series of auctions this fall and spring.