The Janet H. Wilson Collection
April 3, 2021 - July 10, 2022| Rankin East
Image credit: Helen Kiner McCarthy (American, 1884-1927). Mayview Road, first quarter, 20th century. Oil on canvas. The Janet H. Wilson Collection, BRAHM.
Janet Wilson – Curious and Focused Collector
She would walk into a gallery – quietly, unassumingly – dressed in casual clothes and tennis shoes. With her discerning eye, she’d notice paintings hanging in an out-of-the-way spot, often eyeing a striking portrait or landscape. Soon the dealer would be negotiating carefully and the collector would leave, satisfied.
Though she lived most of her adult live in near-by Lenoir, NC, Janet was born in New York City and grew up in New Jersey. Her first paintings were NYC Central Park scenes by Edward Dufner, which she inherited from her parents. That gift began her lifelong interest in local and compelling art.
Janet travelled extensively with BRAHM and frequently shopped for art while on these trips. She befriended gallery owners and sought the advice of other collectors on the trip. In New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston – she was always on the hunt for paintings by women! Her rationale: they were just as talented as their male counterparts and their work, more affordable.
Once she had narrowed her focus to “female painters,” she decided to more specifically concentrate on those women who had accompanied Elliott Daingerfield to Blowing Rock. Some of these artists later became well-known members of The Philadelphia 10, a leading group of women in American Art, and their prices were commensurate with their fame. But her perseverance paid off: she acquired works from all but one of the Philadelphia 10 and these works brought her true delight.
Janet Wilson was an admirer of beauty, an empathetic educator, an advocate for women, a stickler for accuracy and honesty, and a curious and generous scholar all her life.
- Friend and Former BRAHM Executive Director, Joann C. Mitchell
