Art takes a backseat at ATC's A Carolina Collection

 What happens to art when it is no longer anything but its market? 

The opening of Bob Timberlake’s A Carolina Collection at the American Tobacco Campus did a good job of answering that question. With booze and swanky hors d’oeuvres from Revolution as the centerpiece of the room, Timberlake’s watercolors took a backseat at their own showing. The atmosphere and mood appeared more like a corporate mixer than any art exhibition. Moved to the side to make room for cocktail tables, the paintings had a complete non-presence in the airy space of the Strickland Lobby.

Timberlake is known for his detailed watercolor depictions of the rural South. Picturesque ocean-side landscapes and windowsill still lifes epitomize his work. Timberlake’s evocation of American simplicity endeared his work to the masses and the artist is now a veritable powerhouse of faux-antique products. His sprawling gallery in Blowing Rock, North Carolina sells everything from reproductions and furniture to coffee and sweets.

A Carolina Collection offered nothing new or unexpected from the usual Timberlake repertoire. Multiple watercolors focused on the snowy landscapes of Carolina farm homes or the shanty-like ocean cottages of yesteryear’s Outer Banks. The paintings mainly inspired thoughts of how perfectly they would complete the decor of any quintessential mountain getaway or seaside vacation home.

Timberlake has clearly created a successful niche for himself in the art market. As his design empire continues to expand to include home accessories, souvenirs and toys. One has to wonder, however, how connected Timberlake is to his art today. The opening of A Carolina Collection, where art acted as the mere side plate to good food and small talk, indicated that in the midst of manufacturing, creative purpose has been lost.

A Carolina Collection is on view now through Jan 4 at the American Tobacco Campus’s Strickland Lobby.