Eakins’ ‘Swimming Hole’ to Go On the Auction Block

CURRENTS: The latest uproar over sales of museums’ treasures--a practice called deaccessioning-- concerns Sotheby’s May 24 auction of Thomas Eakins’ “The Swimming Hole,” from the collection of the Modern Art Museum in Ft. Worth, Tex. The widely exhibited masterpiece of American art is expected to bring between $10 million and $15 million.

“We agonized over it. The decision was very painful, but the museum actually left the painting, rather than the other way around,” said museum director E.A. Carmean. In 1968, the Modern Art Museum agreed to limit its collecting territory to American art since 1940 and European art since 1920, he explained.

The Modern has been steadily selling off its 19th-Century collection since 1968 and buying 20th-Century work, Carmean said. Among its acquisitions are 10 Robert Motherwells, 21 Jackson Pollocks and 5 Frank Stellas. Recently, the museum sold a Georgia O’Keeffe painting and bought 19 Milton Averys with the proceeds.

“The Swimming Hole,” depicting male nude swimmers in a lush landscape, is the most valuable 19th-Century painting in the museum’s collection. It was purchased for $700 from the artist’s widow in 1925.

“The painting is clearly a valuable asset and it is not on view because it does not fit into our program,” Carmean said. “We have to build for the future.” Proceeds from the sale will augment the museum’s $13-million acquisitions endowment.

THE SCENE

After nine years at its current location on West De La Guerra, Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum is preparing for a move--to a larger space in the downtown Santa Barbara Paso Nuevo shopping mall.

“In a way, we’ve been too narrowly defined by our current space, which is too small,” said CAF Director Betty Klausner. “We’re very pleased about our new location. We’re going to be almost doubling our space.”

Klausner plans to open CAF’s new home on Aug. 19 with “Spirit of Our Time,” an exhibition examining “the process of our choosing how to choose artists.” The new space--which is only about a half block away from CAF’s current home--will include two galleries and a small gift shop.

“I’m excited about the prospect of extending our audience,” Klausner said, noting that CAF will be located in the mall space between Nordstrom and the Broadway, and that she expects shoppers to become regular visitors.

After the first week in the new space, Klausner plans to auction 60 contemporary art works as the culmination of a campaign to raise $300,000 for the new location. Also going to that fund will be a portion of proceeds from sales of work in the final exhibition at the West De La Guerra site, “Free-For-All 2,” which opens on Saturday and runs through May 19.

More and more galleries seem to be getting involved in social causes these days, and it’s becoming almost common for a portion of proceeds to go to charities such as AIDS or environmental groups. Now Biota Gallery (in its new space at 8500 Melrose Ave.), is getting involved with a slightly more controversial cause--handgun control. Twenty percent of proceeds from the Joseph Ginsberg show opening Friday will be donated to Handgun Control Inc., as will 100% of proceeds from limited edition posters of Ginsberg’s painting “Target.” “It is our hope that we can bring more awareness into our community and help support . . . legislation to wipe-out handgun violence,” said gallery owner Diana Jacobs.

OVERHEARD:

“Next time, we’ll definitely have to wear black. That must be the key to these things,” said a young, dark-haired woman in white after observing the crowd at a private Hancock Park reception for the works of the late Soviet dissident artist Eugene Rukhin.

DEBUTS

The first major North American exhibition by American artist James Lee Byars, who has been based in Europe since the early 1970s, goes on view Wednesday at Berkeley’s University Art Museum. Included in the show are 25 abstract sculptures of basalt, brass, bronze or marble, placed atop two enormous gold leaf circles. The first major English language monograph on Byars is also being published in conjunction with the exhibition.

HAPPENING

David Hockney will give the keynote address at Thursday’s 11:30 a.m. groundbreaking ceremony for a new 60,000-square-foot complex at Otis/Parsons Art Institute. The new five-story complex will contain studio spaces for senior students, as well as faculty offices, a 450-seat auditorium and a two-story library and media center. Information: (213) 251-0522.

“Helping Artists Living With AIDS,” a free two-part seminar to provide legal information and a forum to assist artists and their caregivers, is being held Saturdayand April 28. Saturday’s session, at the Los Angeles Theater Center (514 S. Spring St.), will present legal information on issues such as protection of creative works, discrimination in the work place, bankruptcy, trusts and wills, and durable power of attorney for health care. The April 28 session, at AIDS Project Los Angeles (6271 Romaine St.), will focus on insurance and health care options, artistic censorship, homophobia and other discrimination issues. Both sessions run from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Information: (213) 623-8311.

Pacific Asia Museum’s first Spring Festival and Silent Auction will be held from 1-5 p.m. next Sunday at the museum. The event will feature about 20 tables of sale items--including antiques, paintings and jewelry--as well as refreshments and entertainment. Tickets are $35 at the door. Proceeds benefit the museum. Information: (818) 449-2742.

Seventeen San Pedro and Palos Verdes artists will open their studios to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. next Sunday during the Palos Verdes Art Center Art Walk. Tickets for the drive-yourself tour are $20 a person, with proceeds going to the art center. Information: (213) 541-2479.

Times Art Writer Suzanne Muchnic contributed to this column.