Our cover this month, Candy by Robert Cottingham, sold for $1,500 at Swann Auction Galleries Contemporary Art auction on June 25, 2020 in New York City. Mesmerized as a child by the bright lit signs of Times Square in New York City, Cottingham has focused his career depicting these very signs, movie marquees, building façades and storefronts.
The epitome of Americana, Cottingham’s works are a nod to the very culture our country is known for: the “American Dream.” Truly revering his subject matter, he never strayed from his original style. Although his works are most frequently categorized as photorealist, they sometimes border on abstraction.
There’s no time like the present to bask in the nostalgia depicted by Cottingham. Living in this COVID-era, which has been dubbed the “new normal,” many welcome a trip down memory lane. Candy, with its vibrant hues and summer light, makes one yearn for summers past, and hits particularly close to home, with restaurants and many other stores suffering immeasurably as a result of the necessary government-mandated shutdowns.
In his article, “Reinventing Family Enterprise After the Pandemic,” p. 39, Dennis T. Jaffe shares insight on how family enterprises, including family-run businesses, can seize opportunities during these unprecedented times and emerge resilient should we see another event like this again.