Robert White collects regional art in an attempt to help preserve the cultural heritage.
Robert White of Bristol, Tennessee, collects Tennessee fancies and has loaned pieces to William King Museum of Art, Abingdon, Virginia, for its new exhibit.
He’s been collecting since he was a child – thanks to his parents.
“Our family is from North Carolina and Virginia. We moved to Bristol, Tennessee, when I was nearly 5 so although I’m not a native, I’ve lived here most of my life. As a child, I would go with my mother and father to auctions. They were never serious in their search for a particular piece. They were more interested in enjoying their time together, and auctions were fun. My mother always has appreciated and collected antiques. My father joked and said he ‘collected dollar bills,’ definitely more practical. It was he, however, who sparked my early interest in ‘old things’ by buying a basket of bottles for me from an Abingdon sale in 1974. I still have them.
“Fortunately, my wife is also interested in collecting arts of this region. My wedding gift to her was a pie safe from Mendota, Virginia. As we gained more knowledge, a goal was set to build the most comprehensive collection of local and regional art we could assemble, and the collection continued to grow.
“We’ve been casual but disciplined, determined to find the best regional examples we could of genres we were interested in. Later we expanded our interests with objects from North Carolina and Virginia, given the family ties. Our primary interest has always been with ‘fancy’ paint decorated furniture. It’s extremely hard to come by and we’ve been very fortunate to find the pieces we have. A paint decorated clock was recently loaned to the William King Museum,” he says.
Living in the area is the reason White collects regional art in an attempt to help preserve the cultural heritage.
“We choose to live here. It naturally follows that we would choose to collect objects from the area in which we live. We are losing our dialects, our local and regional customs at such a fast pace. Preserving our cultural heritage is crucial. And that heritage is represented in objects from our area, in styles of inlay, methods of construction, and influences from abroad. Collecting is just one part of preservation. We are not limited to one particular category. It started with that pie safe but quickly grew to include pottery, textiles, folk art and paintings. There is a certain set of criteria that has to be met. It’s an appreciation of quality and craftsmanship. It has to be justified before a purchase is made,” he says.
Finding pieces for his collection relies on many factors. He works with friends, auctioneers and pickers and does a great deal of research. One of his favorite research resources is the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. MESDA has an extensive online database of objects. William King Museum of Art in Abingdon, Virginia, also has an online archive.
“Several friends have assisted us with the search. Chief among them is Sumpter Priddy, whose offerings are anchors of the collection. Sumpter is a dealer in decorative and fine arts, primarily southern and is the author of ‘American Fancy: Exuberance in the Arts, 1790-1840.’ It’s unparalleled as a reference for the most important painted examples extant. I’ve never been reluctant to share information, as so often is the case with collectors, and struck up an immediate friendship with Sumpter back in 1998. I collect these objects because I love doing it, with no hidden agenda, and I think he recognizes that.
“Buying and collecting has changed recently. Closed museums limit research. Prohibited attendance at auction hinders absolute certainty in buying. Online auctions aren’t nearly as fun. It’s certainly easier to pour a drink and sit in front of a computer and click bid until you win. But you miss out. Anonymity has its advantages but also limits opportunity, and friendships.
“Unfortunately, the method of finding pieces is not consistent. What has to be consistent is the manner in which you react to the news. If a phone call comes in, I have to act. If a picker calls, I have to meet him. In order to be successful, you must be proactive. A good friend once told me he has never woke up to find something great set on his front porch.
“Finding things locally is certainly possible, but the better things have been mostly found. Things scattered. People moved and took their things with them. Pottery, for example, was made, peddled from place to place, sold and gone. It was utilitarian. And similar. That’s why collecting and preserving cultural heritage is so important. It is through collections and collectors that schools of work can be linked, makers can be identified, and research can be proven and documented.
“I don’t watch much television. I read. I research. I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t open MESDA files online. The knowledge I gain supports the success with collecting, but it also supports the success I might have with everything else.
“I enjoy the hunt. This is my extracurricular activity. I enjoy being surrounded by history and with objects that bring me happiness. I have devoted a lot of time and effort to this, and there’s a certain satisfaction that goes along with being successful with doing it,” White says.
Even with all the research he does, White occasionally makes a mistake.
“Sometimes things are not what they appear to be. When that happens and a bad purchase is made, you learn from the mistake and move on. Anyone who says they haven’t been fooled in this game is either very lucky, very naive or in denial. Period,” he says.
White has spent years building his collecting, researching new pieces and going on the hunt for them.
“It’s hard to pick a favorite when you like it all. It’s a moving target. Sometimes I’d say it’s the newest purchase, or the one that took years to finally get. But pieces have come available when least expected, when there was no money in the budget, and I bought them anyway. Pieces I’ve struggled for are what make me smile most. Every piece here has a memory attached, good and bad. I’ve made mistakes, and most certainly will again. But I’ve never regretted buying a single thing.
READ ON: Tennessee Fancy exhibit is at William King Museum
