Greshville Antiques and Fine Art of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, is proud to announce The Annual Berks County Art™ Show to be held Sunday, October 5, through Sunday, October 12. The show will be held in their gallery located in a restored 18th-century stone barn. The show will feature approximately 125 paintings by the school of artists from Berks County working from 1850-1940, including portraits, landscapes, still lifes, wildlife, and genre scenes. It is the only show of its kind.
Featured in this year’s show are several works by Christopher High Shearer (1846-1926). Shearer was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and was instrumental in the development of the art movement in Berks County. He studied in Germany and France, and also exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. This year’s selection includes a number of particularly delightful European scenes, along with several picturesque landscapes of the Berks County countryside.
Ben Austrian (1870-1921) is Berks County’s most well-known artist. Austrian’s realistic renditions of chickens became his calling card. He designed the logo of a single chick with an egg shell for the Bon Ami cleanser company, which furthered his artistic career not only within the United States, but also internationally. This year’s show includes several of his renowned chick paintings, from a winsome miniature work of art depicting a single chick to an appealing rendering of a mother hen with sixteen chicks.
Eugene S. Reeser (1862-1922) was a skilled photographer and artist in Reading, Pennsylvania. His brush work is very distinct, as is his choice of subject matter. One of several of his works offered this year is a treasure of a painting depicting two curious chicks intently gazing at a frog.
A coral sunset lights the rushing water in a romantic landscape painted by John Heyl Raser (1824-1901). Traditional to Raser’s works, this painting is strong in detail, color, and composition.
Other paintings of interest include accomplished works by some of the lesser known artists of Berks County including Shenfelder, Seaquist, Falk, and Landis. Although many of these artists were students of Christopher Shearer, each developed his own distinct style.
Kurt and Valerie Malmberg have been researching Berks County artists and their works for over 25 years. They are considered the leading authorities and appraisers of Berks County Art™, assisting auction houses, institutions, appraisers, and collectors in evaluating and purchasing this rediscovered regional art.
The Annual Berks County Art™ Show will be on display at Greshville Antiques and Fine Art, located on Route 562, near Boyertown, Pa. All of the paintings exhibited in this show will be available for purchase and are guaranteed as represented. Approximately 3,000 people attend this eight day event. Along with the collection of Berks County Art™, the gallery also carries a collection of 19th- and 20th-century American and European art, and quality clocks and furniture.?
For more information on The Annual Berks County Art™ Show, please contact Valerie Malmberg at Greshville Antiques and Fine Art at 610-367-0076.
