The Alexander Collection
April 3 - August 15, 2021 | Rankin West Gallery
Guest Curated by BRAHM’s Docents
Image Credit: John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925). Portrait of Mrs. Reginald Grenville Eves, 1912. Charcoal on paper. The Alexander Collection, BRAHM Permanent Collection.
Welborn and Patty Alexander –
Art Collecting As A Life-Changing Experience
“When I got interested in art, it changed my life!” - Welborn Alexander
When Welborn and Patty Alexander bought their first American Impressionist painting in 1992, they had no idea that this simple purchase would involve them in a completely new world and life-style that would completely alter the rest of their lives. They bought their art to live with in their home, but found that the more they learned, the more deeply they could appreciate the art itself and the artists who had created it. They would go on to become serious, passionate art collectors of primarily American Impressionist art produced in the period from 1880 until 1930. Their collection activity would then channel their attention, funds, and energies to help establish the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum and to help share the art-collecting experience with others. They discovered and helped create groups of like-minded people who wanted to learn about art, travel to see it, collect it, and share it with others.
With their immersion into this new world, Welborn engaged in serious pre-purchase research. Their travels and social interactions now included auctions, private and dealer sales, museum shows, and introductions to other collectors and their collections. Reciprocally, they graciously hosted like-minded appreciators of art. Having received the benefits of mentorship themselves, they generously shared what they learned with others. Besides serving as BRAHM’s President from 2001 until 2012, Welborn served on the Boards of The Mint Museum of Art, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, the Nasher Museum, and the North Carolina Museum of Art. For many in this community, it was a joy to see how the Alexanders loved living with their art and sharing it with all of us.
