Paul Wonner rose to prominence as one of the leading artists associated with the Bay Area Figurative Movement. Born in Tucson in 1920, Wonner studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. After military service in Texas and studies at The Art Students League in New York, he then returned to California in 1950 to pursue his Master of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley. His return coincided with David Park’s renunciation of Abstract Expressionism and the inception of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. Wonner adopted Park’s gestural approach to figuration and became a prominent practitioner in the movement. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Wonner’s practice was marked by a painterly figurative style, suffused with vibrant coloration and figures isolated in landscapes, domestic interiors, or against planes of color. Paul Wonner’s work is held in the collects ions of The Smithsonian Museum of Art, Washington; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Art, New York, among many others.

In W.T. Brown, Wonner portrayed his artistic kindred spirit and life-long partner, William Theophilus Brown. After earning his undergraduate degree at Yale University in 1941 and serving in World War II, Brown studied under Fernand Leger and Amedee Ozenfant in Paris and then became acquainted with the New York School of Abstract Expressionists, including Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning. Brown and Wonner met during their postgraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley in 1952 and soon became close companions with leading Bay Area Figurative artists including David Park, Richard Diebenkorn, and Elmer Bischoff. The formative weekly drawing sessions between these artists often took place at Wonner and Brown’s studio, which was located above a Volkswagen dealership in Berkeley. The artists cumulatively played a foundational role in the Bay Area Figurative Movement, as exemplified by their inclusion in Paul Mills’ 1957 exhibition at the Oakland Art Museum, Contemporary Bay Area Figurative Painting.

H ighlighted 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.