Meet the new owners of Display of Eminence
Art and Peggy Hittner purchased Display of Eminence at the 2010 Mountain Oyster Show
Art and Peggy Hittner
Display of Eminence, my entry into the 2010 Mountain Oyster Club art show in Tucson, is now in its new home.
Its new owners, Art and Peggy Hittner, are recent transplants to Arizona after a lifetime in Boston. Their story of finding inspiration in Western art after a life back east was one that I thought would resonate with you.
Falling in love with the West
Although the Hittners are new to the Western art scene, they are seasoned collectors. In the past, they have collected representational works of the Depression era including regionalism, urban realism and WPA paintings.
But when they purchased their Tucson residence, the Hittners developed a passion for the grandeur of the West – one they wanted to see reflected in the art they surrounded themselves with in their new home.
When we left the Boston area and came out here, it was an exciting cultural change. In fact, it is hard not to get excited about Western Art when the beauty of the West is all around you. ~Art Hittner
To fully immerse themselves in the Western art scene, the couple takes a methodical approach, viewing many paintings, asking questions and learning about living artists and their methods.
“Peggy is involved with docent training at the Tucson Museum of Art which focuses, in part, on their Western art collection and exhibitions,” says Art. “Those activities, together with visits to commercial galleries, have contributed to our education about the genre.”
Art also explained to me that researching art is an enjoyable process for him, albeit different in nature when dealing with living artists. “When purchasing deceased artist paintings, you can assess an entire body of work and its impact,” Art says. “With a living artist—and in the Western art world—artists evolve in real time. The age, past accomplishments and potential future development of an artist are all critical considerations in evaluating a potential purchase. Also, participation in the major Western show scene is essential.”
Choosing Display of Eminence
Given all the fine Western art the Hittners have recently discovered, I was delighted that the couple chose Display of Eminence for as a centerpiece for their new collection.
“Our reason for liking this painting is that this is more than just a portrait of a Native American subject. It is a portrait within context,” says Art. “You, as a viewer, get drawn into a complete environment. Our first criteria for buying art is that we have a visceral reaction to it. Display of Eminence, we thought, had more visceral impact than any other work at the Mountain Oyster Club show.”
Art and Peggy sent me several questions about Display of Eminence before deciding to submit an intent to purchase. They also called the collector who commissioned me to paint Encounter with the Teton Sioux that was recently displayed at the Tucson Museum of Art. Then, prior to the Mountain Oyster show, the Hittners and I got together for lunch to discuss the work (and my own career) a bit more.
Our favorite thing about this painting is that there is more to it than just a beautiful picture. It matters to us that there is depth and composition behind the image. ~Art Hittner
Collectors: Would you like to share your thoughts about Western art for my readers?
I would be pleased to share my clients’ thoughts with other interested collectors. Please contact me to schedule an interview.
