Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504180004
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY ROBERTS TROTT ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
DATELINE: PLAINFIELD, N.H. LENGTH: Long
Those bucolic, dreamy scenes Parrish painted before his death in 1966 are now attracting multimillion-dollar prices among the jet-set, and the artist's work has been thrust into a complicated cross-country legal battle over reproduction rights and profit.
California art dealer Alma Gilbert is suing the Maxfield Parrish Family Trust Inc., accusing its agent of slander and attempting to corner the market for Parrish's art.
The trust, in turn, is suing Gilbert for damages, saying she has been selling bogus Parrish art works and illegally selling reproduction rights and Parrish franchises to unsuspecting dealers.
The legal bickering in courts a continent apart seems alien to the little town where Parrish mingled with residents, often inviting them to his home to see him unveil his masterpieces before they were sent to such far-away destinations as San Francisco and Chicago.
``It's amazing,'' said Virginia Colby of Cornish, who met Parrish in 1960 at his home in neighboring Plainfield. ``Before then, I never heard of him.''
Colby, 73, recalls Parrish then as a charming, elderly gentleman with thick white hair and striking blue eyes. She quickly developed a taste for his artwork, collecting prints for a few dollars apiece at local Salvation Army and Goodwill stores.
Parrish was a commercial artist who had a great national popularity early this century, but art critics shunned representational pictures such as Parrish's in the late 1930s, forcing him into relative obscurity.
Colby was amused by Parrish's distaste for the abstract work that dominated the art scene after World War II, as demonstrated by a conversation she says her second husband had with Parrish on the topic.
``Mr. Parrish said [of modern art], `You know, I think it's wonderful. In a few years it'll keep truck drivers busy carting it to the dump,''' she reminisced.
Parrish was wrong about modern art, but its popularity didn't prevent a revival of interest in his own work beginning in the 1960s. The enthusiasm continues to grow as collectors celebrate the 125th anniversary of Parrish's birth.
Parrish's most famous work, ``Daybreak,'' is estimated to be worth $2.5 million, and celebrities including Jack Nicholson and Madonna are known to have Parrish works. The prints Colby was able to pick up for under $10 are now worth several hundred.
``There's tremendous interest in Parrish once again,'' said Parrish trust agent Laurence Cutler, who is preparing to take some of Parrish's work on tour to Tokyo this month.
But as Cutler and his wife, New York art dealer Judith Goffman, revel in the artist's popularity, they are defending themselves against allegations that they are bullying Gilbert out of the market.
Gilbert's lawyer, Tomio Narita, said his client's gallery in Burlingame, Calif., has been seriously damaged by Cutler's claims that she is spreading misinformation about the artist and selling fake Parrish art studies.
``Her business is suffering greatly,'' said Narita, who declined to comment extensively on the lawsuits. Narita has advised Gilbert not to comment at all.
Gilbert, who is suing for $1 million, operated a Parrish museum out of the artist's Plainfield estate for eight years. After the home burned and the museum went out of business, Gilbert left for California, angering her former neighbors, some of whom had lent her Parrish memorabilia.
Cutler's lawyer, Martin Bressler of New York, said his client's accusations against Gilbert came about as part of efforts to protect Parrish's reputation.
``They are finding more and more layers of what they consider to be improprieties in marketing of Maxfield Parrish's works,'' Bressler said.
Cutler claims that several works sold by Gilbert have been ruled fakes by art experts, and Kay Marie Oberbillig, of Venice, Fla., said Gilbert illegally sold her rights to open a gallery franchise called the ``Parrish Connection.''
The trust contends it has Parrish reproduction rights, and Parrish descendants say Cutler and Goffman have their blessing.
The trust further claims Gilbert has damaged Parrish's name by publishing books containing errors about the artist and his life.
Gilbert has denied in court papers that she sold fake Parrish works.
Gilbert had one brush with the law in New Hampshire. She pleaded guilty in 1988 to a felony charge of selling a painting on consignment but not paying the owner. Her prison sentence was suspended, but she was ordered to pay $32,500 to the victim.
Colby calls the legal battle a shame because it takes attention away from the artist himself.
``He probably would turn over in his grave if he knew all that was going on,'' she said. ``He was such a nice person. He doesn't deserve this.''
by CNB