Single-Owner Folk Art Collection Comes To Market
Lenhartsville Estate Boasts Work Of Luke Gottshall, Among Others
March 12, 2021
Kleinfelters Auction of Lebanon, Pa., will hold an online sale closing Sunday, March 21, for a vast single-owner estate from Lenhartsville, Pa. The estate is that of Donald Kerchner, an eccentric collector who lived in a large property just off the I-78 exit in the small northern Berks County borough. Kerchner was not a minimalist, the house was absolutely loaded. Every bit of wall space was covered, mentioned David Horst, owner of Kleinfelters. Other auction houses are involved with the estate. Pook & Pook sold part of it in its Feb. 24 online only sale and will sell more, including a large collection of silver, in the spring. Kerchner was of the generation that did not ask themselves where something would go, they just bought it. A collector of European and American material, both period and contemporary of many styles, among the strengths of the vast collections is regional folk art. He was active in the 1980s buying directly from regional folk artists such as Luke Gottshall (1899-1993). Gottshall, of Reinholds, Pa., was famous antiques dealer and painter Hattie Brunners brother-in-law. Nearly 50 works by Gottshall will be sold, such as folk carvings of birds, fabric and watercolor collages, and Gottshalls well-known horse-drawn wagons. Some were lent to the 1998 exhibition, Generations, at the Freedman Gallery at Albright College. About 50 reverse paintings on glass by folk artist John Long will also be sold. Long (1894-1984) lived in Reinholds, Pa. Redware pottery by Ned Foltz and assorted other work will round out the folk art portion of the sale, which will be about 300 lots. A preview will take place on Wednesday, March 17, from 1 to 5 p.m. Kleinfelters uses HiBid as its bidding platform. For additional information, call 717-272-7078.
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