Painting of Haiti Capital to Sell at Bonhams to Aid Damaged Country
NEW YORK, NY.- An oil painting of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, by Louis Aston Knight (American, 1873-1948), is estimated to sell for $6,000-9,000 at Bonhams in New York and will aid AmeriCares, the nonprofit global health and disaster relief organization currently working in Haiti.
Born in Paris, Louis Knight studied there under Robert-Fleury Lefebvre and his father, Daniel Ridgway Knight. He is known chiefly as a landscape painter and was the recipient of numerous awards during his lifetime.
Louis Aston Knight (American, 1873-1948,) "A view of Haiti"
The painting shows a view over the capital: the cathedral and the National Palace (which now houses some of the Haitian government offices) are visible on the right. The Palace was destroyed in 1912 and rebuilt from 1915 to 1934. In this latest earthquake the Presidential palace was again destroyed.
Giles Peppiatt, Director of Topographical Pictures at Bonhams the international fine art auction house, said: “When the owner of this painting heard about the disaster in Haiti she asked us to sell it on behalf of a charity currently working to help the people of Haiti. The money raised by this picture at our saleroom in New York will go to AmeriCares, and we look forward to a successful auction.”
