Bucks County Herald - April 06 2006

Walter Emerson Baum - David Baum Collection

Dear Friends,

Good morning. The story of famed artist Walter Emerson Baum lives on. Although he died in 1956, new chapters about his life continue to open. The Sellersville native painted thousands of oils, watercolors, drawings and prints. Homes all over the country have Baum works of art.

Now we learn that his grandson, David Baum, who continues to live in Walter Baum’s home, has decided to sell the last great holding of Baum material. “It’s the largest and best collection owned by one person,” J. Lawrence Grim, Jr., Walter Baum’s grandson told me, “to descend directly from the artist.” These works have not been seen outside of the Baum family in 50 years.

“We discovered 18 oil paintings and 30 works on paper…20 of them spectacular water colors,” Grim continued. “Walter Baum was a superlative artist in water color. It’s so unforgiving,” he added about the complexities of creating water colors. “You have to get it right the first time.”

I talked with Kathleen O’Dea, an art consultant who is assisting in the project. “David Baum’s exhibit will raise the awareness of Walter Baum’s influence in the art world,” she said.

Like his father, Grim’s son, Gregory, is a Perkasie attorney and has been busy with David Baum’s treasure trove. The cleaning and categorizing of the work must have been daunting. The elder Grim gave me a few tidbits in press releases he wrote for the upcoming show.

“Since [Walter] Baum’s death, there have been several retrospective exhibitions of his work and a major book published by Dr. Martha Hutson-Saxton, an art historian. Known as “Missy,” her extensive book, ‘Walter Emerson Baum, 1884-1956, Pennsylvania Artist and Founder of the Baum School of Art and Allentown Art Museum,’” Grim’s article began. She will be at the exhibit lending her expertise to the affair.

Who was Walter Emerson Baum? “Walter Baum was famous for his role in the Pennsylvania Impressionist School of Art centered around New Hope,” Grim continued. “His work is as well known as the paintings as Edward Redfield and Daniel Garber. Like those artists, Baum’s landscapes are highly prized by collectors. In the David Baum collection, there are views of many local communities including the towns of Bucks and Berks Counties and the Lehigh Valley.

“As a young man, Baum studied privately with William Trego, a prominent painter of military scenes. He also studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In 1925, he was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal from the Academy. He was the art editor of the Philadelphia Bulletin for over 20 years, publishing over 500 reviews. He paid homage to his Pennsylvania German heritage with his book, ‘Two Hundred Years.’

“He founded the Baum School of Art in Allentown and was instrumental in the creation of the Allentown Art Museum. In 1946, Lehigh University awarded him an honorary doctorate of humane letters and in 2000, The Morning Call honored Baum as the most important figure in art in the Lehigh Valley for the century.”

I asked Grim what the collection was worth? He replied that the appraisers were still at work but a catalogue is in the works and will provide clues. My bet is that the exhibit and sale will yield hundreds of thousands. We’ll just have to wait and see.

O’Dea shed light on the enormity of the project. “Typically, it takes two years to create an exhibit of this magnitude,” she said. “But we’re doing it in just three months. We’re not an art museum or an art gallery. But this is a special tribute to Walter Baum and a labor of love for Larry, his grandson. This exhibit is a culmination of years of schooling that I’ve had. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

David Baum’s collection will be on exhibit at the First Service Bank on May 5. The new bank building is located at the intersection of Old Route 309 and Route 113, near Souderton.

I’ve put the date on my calendar…you should too.

Sincerely,

Charles Meredith