Recent Discoveries

The New Haven Paint & Clay Club, founded in the year 1900, has been collecting artworks for its own permanent collection from its Spring Open Juried and Fall Active Members shows since the early years of its long existence. Indeed, many works from those initial years were created by artists now considered 20th century masters, and who, today, are still avidly collected by museums and private art lovers.

Every now and then works by artists who were associated with the New Haven Paint & Clay Club and are no longer with us appear on the open market or are brought to the Club’s attention by individuals who prize these works in their personal collections. This new section of the Club’s website will feature some of these recent discoveries.

A mixed-media piece, Still Life with Pitcher (figure 1) by the artist Trafford Allpass entered the Club’s permanent collection in 1961. Its strong graphic presence, depicting the pitcher in the title and various elements associated with the painter’s process, and its pleasing color harmony, reveal that it is a distinct product of the mid-century modernist movement in American art.

Allpass was a native of New York City. He received a BA in art from Hamilton College, pursued graduate studies, first at the Cleveland Institute of Art and then at Wesleyan University, where he earned an MA degree. After serving in the US Coast Guard, he taught art history, design, drafting and studio courses at several New England prep schools. His free-lance graphic work included designs and illustrations for numerous brochures, magazines, and books. He conducted adult classes in watercolor, ceramics and oil painting, and worked in both representational and abstract styles. His works were exhibited in New York City and Utica, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Cleveland, OH, Springfield, MA, and Houston, and San Antonio, TX, where he passed away in 2017. He won numerous awards throughout his career, including the Benedictine Art Award (New York City), a Ford Foundation Grant, and the NHP&CC Purchase Prize. His works are held in many public and private collections throughout New England, New Jersey, Florida, Colorado, Texas and in Europe, including Yale University, the State of Connecticut Health Center, and Wesleyan University.

Recently, the Club was made aware of another impressive abstract multi-media painting by Allpass (figure 2). This artwork, now residing in a private collection, was first purchased by a collector in Madison, Connecticut in the 1960s, placing it within the chronological context of the image in the New Haven Paint & Clay Club’s permanent collection. The painting shown in figure 2 also displays clear compositional strength, attention to color, and mid-century modern sensibility. It further exhibits a strong influence by artists working even earlier in the 20th century, with its fragments of pasted text collage, cubist elements, and paint handling. It is a remarkable piece.

The painting in figure 2 is now owned by the original collector’s son. He is willing to discuss what he knows about the work with anyone who has interest in it, and has agreed to be contacted directly about it. The Club can provide the owner’s contact information if asked.