5/25/2021 - Arms and Armor

Provenance:Property from the Collection of Noel and Kathryn Dickinson Wadsworth, Atlanta, Georgia. Noel and Kathy Wadsworth’s appreciation of American history was captured through their fine art, furniture and decorative arts collection. Noel and his late wife, Kathy, are among the original founders of the Auburn Fine Arts Museum, contributing the gallery that bears their name: The Noel and Kathryn Dickinson Wadsworth Gallery. A portion of their art collection was loaned to the museum and featured in the exhibition, Auburn Collects. The Wadsworth’s curated collection was also featured in Time magazine in the early 1980s. The couple met at Auburn University and were members of the first graduating class in June 1960. Following graduation, they moved to Dalton, Georgia, the epicenter of the American Carpet Industry, where Noel’s career and their family thrived. Philanthropic and community-minded, they eventually settled in Atlanta, Georgia and filled their Marietta home with a collection that spanned from the American Colonial period through Art Nouveau. An interest in American art grew after traveling to exhibitions, fairs and auctions in New York, New Orleans, London, and Paris. The couple collected mostly American fine art from the late 19th and early 20th century with a focus on Ashcan school artists. The Wadsworth’s, however, felt important European artists who were friends of the American artists represented in their collection were also needed to convey the full story of the period. The result became a lifelong decorative and fine art collection that reflects the eye of discerning collectors and will be offered through multiple auctions at Hindman this spring.