On December 16th, 2016, Sag Harbor suffered a tragic loss. The iconic Sag Harbor Cinema had fallen victim to a fire that emanated from an unknown source.
Once the first responders put out the fire, there was still much to be done...
In November 2016, as part of the popular Russian American Painting Alliance exhibition, Carl Bretzke painted the Cinema, lit up at night, en plein-air. The painting was a true gem, and sold immediately, before the exhibition even opened.
We encouraged Bretzke to paint another version of this plein-air painting, due to a commanding amount of interest. He obliged, and sent us an amazing, refined studio painting of the image. We highlighted the painting in our Holiday exhibition, Miracle on Madison Street. It sold on December 15th, one day before the fire.
Sag Harbor Movie Theatre, Carl Bretzke, 2016, Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches, SOLD
The next morning, we woke up to a devastated community, on fire.
Areal shot of the damage.
The Grenning Gallery felt it was our job to help in any way we can after this tragedy. Following the success of Bretzke's Cinema Series, we asked him to paint another. His largest version yet, at 24 x 36 inches, Bretzke titled the nostalgic image: "The Last Show". Our plan has been to create limited edition prints, to sell, and collect proceeds for an effort to rebuild! We are in the process of printing 50 limited edition prints; priced at $250.00 each, they are accessible to anyone who wants to take a piece of old Sag Harbor home with them.
After the original painting was scanned, Proof #1 at Laumont Editions
The prints are available today for pre-order. They will be signed and numbered by Carl Bretzke in May, and then will finally be ready for distribution. Reach out to order yours today!
The Last Show, Carl Bretzke, Pigment Print on Fine Art Rag Paper, Edition of 50, 2017, 16 x 20 inches, $250.00