Art: Summer Sale

At 3 p.m. one day last month, a cluster of art lovers stood tippy-toe outside the Art Center in Manchester, Vt. Within twelve minutes after the doors were opened, some 40 canvases were sold; by last week, the total had jumped to 205, fetching $10,000. It promised to be the fattest annual exhibition the Southern Vermont Artists, Inc. had ever had.

Bargain hunters found plenty to choose from. Artists ranged from such established figures as Ogden Pleissner, Dean Fausett and Luigi Luciono to Housepainter Patsy Santo, local farmers, housewives and schoolchildren. Prices began at $15 and ran up to $3,500. Many buyers were year-round citizens. There were also some big-name summer people who showed up with their checkbooks ready, among them Merck & Co.’s George Merck (TIME, Aug. 18), Lambert Co.’s Gerard Lambert.