Professor Robert von Neumann

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the professor with his wife in the background

I was watching the Antiques Roadshow Extraordinary Finds episode:

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbSQlEggkcA

I do remember that 1/2 million dollar table.

Watching made me wonder about some of the art work that the folks collected.  One item is a self portrait by a somewhat famous artist (at least in the Milwaukee Wisconsin area) of the 20th century: Robert Von Neumann

I remember my Mom (she studied with Professor von Neumann) saying a few things about the portrait:

1) he painted it in 15 minutes
2) the eyes follow you everywhere
3) the professor wanted to buy the portrait back from the folks but they kept it

As far as comment 1, did he really paint it in 15 minutes or did it take 80 years ? (or whatever age he was at the time :)

Here's my one story about the von Neumanns. The von Neumanns lived in a nearby suburb, Glendale Wisconsin, on the Milwaukee river.  One time in the 1960s or 1970s the von Neumanns came over to our Fox Point house for some reason.  My Mom and Mrs. von Neumann went in the kitchen to talk.  So my Dad was talking to the professor in the living room while I listened.  The professor smoked a pipe but had forgotten his so my Dad (also a pipe smoker) got him a small clay "guest" pipe.  Then my Dad says something like: "I hear you are both taking a trip back to Germany".  And the professor takes the unlit pipe and knocks it on one leg (I forget which leg) and there's a sound like knocking on wood.  Then he says something like: "it's to take care of this"

The story was that the professor was in the German army during World War I.  He was wounded and ended up with a wooden leg.  It was 50 years or more later and the German government still took care of maintenance/adjustment/replacement of the leg - amazing.

Anyway, I doubt the portrait (or another von Neumann piece: a lithograph) is valuable but I wouldn't sell it - somewhere I have the receipt for the painting.  I remember my Dad buying a cheap frame for it at a rummage sale and antiquing it with gold paint.  Unfortunately he used masking tape to mount the picture so that can't be good.  I do have to think about what to do with it, will-wise - but that can wait for another day - whoever gets it will have to worry about conserving it :)

The portrait is the pick of the two items, those eyes do follow you.  The lithograph always seemed a little awkward to me.  Why would the farmer be sitting on the plow ?  Why are the two horses just standing there ?  The answer: it's titled "A Short Rest" (written at the lower left)  However unlike the portrait, the lithograph was professionally matted/framed :)

Here is a web page with thumbnails of some of his work and prices they sold for:

https://www.invaluable.com/artist/von-neumann-robert-w-rmh13xugz3/sold-at-auction-prices/

Here's another page with a picture of the professor and Mrs. von Neumann:

https://galleryofwisconsinart.com/artist-works.php?artistId=280808&artist=Robert%20von%20Neumann

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm