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Lot 107 PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF JOAN A. MENDELL
Joan Armour Mendell spent a lifetime embracing the joys of fine art, culture, and giving back to her community. Gracious, intelligent, and imbued with a tremendous generosity of spirit, she saw each day as an opportunity to learn, and to help others.
While studying at Connecticut College, she met Robert Armour, whom she married in 1951; the couple would go on to be devoted parents to their four children. It was with Bob that she first developed her love of art collecting. Their home and sculpture garden in Scarsdale, New York was considered at the time to be ultra-modern; they were well-travelled and intellectually curious. It was a personal museum where they displayed their works by artists such as Mark Rothko, David Smith, Alexander Calder, Jules Olitsky, Arnaldo Pomodoro and Victor Vasarely, among many others.
After the death of Bob Armour in 1991, Joan married Ira “Tubby” Mendell and set out to make an impact in her new home of Sarasota, Florida. In Sarasota, she became an active patron of institutions such as the Sarasota Orchestra, the Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, the Glass/Schoenbaum Human Services Center and, notably, the Asolo Repertory Theatre. Through significant financial contributions and her signature joie de vivre, Mendell became a prominent, treasured figure at Asolo. A longtime board member and faithful attendee at each opening night, she underwrote the Joan Amour Mendell Scenic Studio. Completed in 2012, the scenic studio was a transformative gift that has greatly enriched Asolo, the wider state of Florida, and the many original productions that can now travel across the nation.
While married to Tubby, Mendell took the art collection in a different direction, reverently thinking backward to early 20th century masters of European art, while simultaneously looking forward to iconic American artists like Helen Frankenthaler. She was particularly fanatical about Picasso Ceramics, and set out to assemble the most complete collection possible of this oeuvre, always paying close attention to condition.
Throughout her life, Joan Armour Mendell held a true passion for art and culture, aspects of the human experience she saw as vital toward both personal happiness and the betterment of communities. “If your life is enriched, if you smile, if you laugh,” she declared of the arts, “you’ve helped the health of your life.” It was a philosophy embodied by Mendell, as she surrounded herself with a striking private collection of fine art that included works by artists such as Picasso, Frankenthaler and Pomodoro. In her later years, Mendell began to write and publish volumes of original poetry, reflecting on subjects high and low as a means of understanding the world. Proceeds from the sale of her books were gifted to the many organizations she held dear. She was also a proud bridge champion.
After her death in 2018, Mendell’s presence continues to be felt in Florida and beyond. In her outstanding collection of fine art, Joan Armour Mendell demonstrated the passion and vibrancy for which she was known - a spirited legacy worthy of celebration, a poetry all her own.
Joan Armour Mendell spent a lifetime embracing the joys of fine art, culture, and giving back to her community. Gracious, intelligent, and imbued with a tremendous generosity of spirit, she saw each day as an opportunity to learn, and to help others.
While studying at Connecticut College, she met Robert Armour, whom she married in 1951; the couple would go on to be devoted parents to their four children. It was with Bob that she first developed her love of art collecting. Their home and sculpture garden in Scarsdale, New York was considered at the time to be ultra-modern; they were well-travelled and intellectually curious. It was a personal museum where they displayed their works by artists such as Mark Rothko, David Smith, Alexander Calder, Jules Olitsky, Arnaldo Pomodoro and Victor Vasarely, among many others.
After the death of Bob Armour in 1991, Joan married Ira “Tubby” Mendell and set out to make an impact in her new home of Sarasota, Florida. In Sarasota, she became an active patron of institutions such as the Sarasota Orchestra, the Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, the Glass/Schoenbaum Human Services Center and, notably, the Asolo Repertory Theatre. Through significant financial contributions and her signature joie de vivre, Mendell became a prominent, treasured figure at Asolo. A longtime board member and faithful attendee at each opening night, she underwrote the Joan Amour Mendell Scenic Studio. Completed in 2012, the scenic studio was a transformative gift that has greatly enriched Asolo, the wider state of Florida, and the many original productions that can now travel across the nation.
While married to Tubby, Mendell took the art collection in a different direction, reverently thinking backward to early 20th century masters of European art, while simultaneously looking forward to iconic American artists like Helen Frankenthaler. She was particularly fanatical about Picasso Ceramics, and set out to assemble the most complete collection possible of this oeuvre, always paying close attention to condition.
Throughout her life, Joan Armour Mendell held a true passion for art and culture, aspects of the human experience she saw as vital toward both personal happiness and the betterment of communities. “If your life is enriched, if you smile, if you laugh,” she declared of the arts, “you’ve helped the health of your life.” It was a philosophy embodied by Mendell, as she surrounded herself with a striking private collection of fine art that included works by artists such as Picasso, Frankenthaler and Pomodoro. In her later years, Mendell began to write and publish volumes of original poetry, reflecting on subjects high and low as a means of understanding the world. Proceeds from the sale of her books were gifted to the many organizations she held dear. She was also a proud bridge champion.
After her death in 2018, Mendell’s presence continues to be felt in Florida and beyond. In her outstanding collection of fine art, Joan Armour Mendell demonstrated the passion and vibrancy for which she was known - a spirited legacy worthy of celebration, a poetry all her own.
Lynn Chadwick, R.A. (1914-2003)
Walking Cloaked Figures VI
Closed20 November 2018
Price Realised
GBP 52,500