Our cover this month, Laurence A. Campbell’s “Winter on Wall Street, from Trinity” (30 in. by 24 in.), sold for $35,000 at Heritage Auctions’ American Art Signature Auction in Dallas on Nov. 12,
2016. Not much is known about Campbell, who prefers to stay out of the public eye. Nor do we need to know much—his iconic paintings of New York City winter scenes speak for themselves. His talent is immense.
Having studied architecture at Temple University in Philadelphia, Campbell initially had his own building business. His passion for painting, including both commissions for clients who wanted copies of the work of well-known artists of the past and his original creations, however, led him to establish his own gallery, Gallery 35, instead. Though he possessed a great ability to buy and sell art, Campbell was more focused on creating it. He closed the gallery in the early 1990s and went on to exhibit at the Lambertville Gallery of Fine Art in Lambertville, N.J. from 1994 until he stopped painting in 2003. His paintings have been sold at various fine auctions.
As one article in this month’s issue suggests, it may be wise for practitioners to step out of their comfort zone and ask clients personal questions that can lead to more individually tailored estate plans and documents. A cookie cutter copy doesn’t work as well in the estate-planning realm as it does in the art world.