MONTEREY, CA On May 21 from 4pm – 6 pm, an important collection of early California paintings from the estate of Beth and Mellon Baird will be offered at auction at historic La Mirada in Monterey, California. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Monterey Museum of Art. This sale will feature an exceptional selection of paintings encompassing a variety of subject matter, including landscape, portraiture, and still life. Included in the sale are works by celebrated artists such as Mary DeNeale Morgan, William Silva, Charles Rollo Peters and Charles Arthur Fries. Originally from Texas, the Bairds shared a deep appreciation for the rich artistic legacy of California – in particular the Monterey Peninsula – and celebrated the region’s cultural heritage by forming an expansive collection of California paintings. The auction will afford the unique opportunity to acquire works by well-known California artists while supporting the Monterey Museum of Art.

Works to be featured in the auction will be on exhibition at historic La Mirada located at 720 Via Mirada, Monterey, CA from April 22 through May 20. A catalogue of the Baird Collection to be offered at auction can also be downloaded at Baird Catalogue after April 22 and absentee bids will be accepted until May 20, 5pm.

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The Monterey Museum of Art was established in 1959 as a chapter of the American Federation of the Arts. The Museum collects, preserves and interprets American art, in particular the work of artists active on the Monterey Peninsula and the West Coast, and Asian art. The permanent collection of 15,000 paintings, photographs, works on paper includes significant holdings of California paintings by artists such as Armin Hansen, William F. Ritschel, Gottardo Piazzoni, and world-renowned photographers including Edward Weston and Ansel Adams.


MMA Pacific Street, 559 Pacific Street and MMA La Mirada, 720 Via Mirada, Monterey, CA, 93940. 831.372.5477.
Open hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 11 to 5 and Sunday, 1 to 4.