AMESBURY, MASS.- Lovers of fine art and collectors of fine art will be giving thanks to John McInnis Auctioneers on Thanksgiving weekend with a pair of fine art auctions. The Saturday, November 29th session is an Estate Art Auction featuring over 400 works by Robert Eshoo (1926-2018) and members of his Circle. The Sunday, November 30th auction will be a Fine Art Auction with 173 important international works of art and additional works to be discovered.

Robert (Bob) P. Eshoo was an accomplished artist and teacher. He lived a full artistic career, working with a variety of media including oil, watercolor and constructions. He was the Director of the Currier Gallery of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire for 37 years. He taught art at several area schools and owned and operated the Hatfield Gallery in Manchester for 30+ years.

Original paintings by Eshoo up for bid include a 40 inch by 22 ½ inch watercolor titled Final Call, signed, titled and dated verso (estimate: $1,000-$1,500); and a 30 inch by 22 ¾ inch watercolor titled Window Passage, signed, titled and dated verso (estimate: $1,000-$1,500). Window Passage is matted (38 inches by 30 ½ inches overall) with a Pucker Gallery label verso.



Hyman Bloom (1913-2009) and Varujan Boghosian (1926-2020) were artists in Robert Eshoo’s Circle. Varujan and Bob grew up around the same time in New Britain, Connecticut and were close friends. They regularly traded art pieces for their private collections and were featured in a combined exhibition of assemblages, constructions and paintings at the Currier Gallery of Art.

Artworks by Boghosian include a wood construction and mixed media Portrait of the Artist, signed verso and dated 1963, 15 ¼ inches by 11 ¼ inches, with multiple exhibition labels (estimate: $3,000-$6,000). Also up for bid is a silver gelatin print by Lotte Jacobi (1896-1990), titled Photogenic, 9 ½ inches by 8 inches, in a custom floating mat (estimate: $750-$1,500).

Hyman Bloom met Bob via the Currier Gallery of Art in the 1950s. Close friends, they were known to tour through a slaughterhouse, viewing the surreal beauty of slaughtered animals’ cadavers, to influence their drawings and paintings, noting man’s predatory nature. The drawings and paintings Bob had (in this sale) were from a trade he made with Hyman of his own artwork.



Offerings from Hyman Bloom will include a drawing with conte crayon titled The Beggars, signed and dated 1954 and measuring 46 inches by 40 inches (sight, minus the frame) (estimate: $5,000-$10,000); and an oil on canvas Self Portrait at Age 18, unsigned, 18 inches by 11 inches (minus the frame), with a note in Bloom’s hand identifying the work (estimate: $1,000-$2,000).

Early in their careers, Hyman, Eshoo and Boghosian all exhibited artworks at the Swetzoff Gallery in Boston in the 1950’s and 1960’s. All three have pieces in the permanent collection on view at the Currier Museum in Manchester and in many other prominent galleries nationwide. An aside: A highly respected friend and collector of Mr. Eshoo’s is believed to have been an art instructor to the actor and comedian Adam Sandler.

The Fine Art Auction on November 30th includes work by artists of the past 100 years, from American realists of the early 20th century to emerging international abstract and representational masters of today. Also up for bid will be Scheier Pottery, Carlo Moretti Venetian Glass, Lalique crystal wares and a Bernardaud Limoges Modernist dinner set.



A bronze sculpture of stringed instruments supporting a 35-inch diameter glass top by Arman (born in France, Armand Fernandez, 1928-2005), title Euterpe, marked “Fondorio de Gour” and dated 2001, has an estimate of $15,000-$25,000; while a large oil on linen by Theo Tobiasse (1927-2012), titled Bethsabee Jusq’aa La Lumiere Du Jour (1983), artist signed and measuring 45 ¾ inches by 35 inches (sight, minus the frame), should bring $15,000-$25,000.



An Expressionist Calligraphic Period oil and acrylic on canvas by Faramarz Pilaram (Iranian, 1937-1982), who’s had many solo exhibitions in Tehran and elsewhere, 19 ½ inches by 62 ½ inches (sight, minus the frame) is expected to finish at $10,000-$20,000. Also, a watercolor on handmade paper by Francesco Clemente (Italian, b. 1952), To Be Titled (1996), 44 ½ inches by 45 inches, with a label from Gagosian Gallery (N.Y.) should hit $10,000-$20,000.



An oil on canvas painting by Roman Zaslonov (Russian, b. 1962), titled La Robe Bleu, signed bottom right and 51 ¼ inches by 74 ¾ inches (sight, minus the frame, carries an estimate of $10,000-$20,000; while a silver gelatin photographic print of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by the renowned photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004), signed by both men, numbered (#5/35) and dated (1999), in a 27 inch by 24 inch frame, should gavel for $6,000-$12,000.

A carved stone sculpture by Phan Gia Huong (Vietnamese, 1950-2022), titled Mother and Child, purchased in 2002 from the SOL Art Gallery in Siena, Italy for $3,600, is estimated to reach $5,000-$8,000. Also, an aquatint by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), titled Peintre en Demi-Figure et Modele Assis en Tailleur, 10 ½ inches by 15 inches (image, minus the frame) should fetch $4,000-$8,000. Included in the lot is a 1998 Franklin Bowles sales receipt for $19,525.

Both auctions will be held online and live in the John McInnis Auctioneers gallery located at 76 Main Street in Amesbury. The November 29th Estate Art Auction has a start time of 11am, while the November 30th auction has a start time of 2pm (both times Eastern). Internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Phone and absentee bids are accepted.

John McInnis Auctioneers invites the public to join them for live previews in the Amesbury gallery on Sunday, November 23rd, thru Wednesday, November 26th, and Friday, November 28th, from 1pm-3pm Eastern Time; and throughout the day on both auction days starting at 9am.

John McInnis Auctioneers, LLC is an estate appraisal and auction company with the largest full-service auction house on Boston’s North Shore. The galleries, located in historic Amesbury, are licensed, bonded and insured for the sale of antiques, fine art and real estate. Estate appraisal, consulting, marketing and liquidation services are carried out confidentially and with courtesy.

John McInnis Auctioneers, LLC is always accepting quality merchandise for future auctions. To consign a single item, a collection or an estate, you may call them at 978-388-0400; or, you can email them at mcinnisauctions@yahoo.com. To learn more about John McInnis Auctioneers, LLC and the two auctions scheduled for November 29th and 30th, being held online and live in the Amesbury, Mass. gallery, visit www.mcinnisauctions.com. Updates are posted frequently.