FROM A GARAGE SALE IN RUSSELLVILLE, ARKANSAS IN THE 1970s

 

I was recently contacted by DeAnna who said that the Devoe above was purchased by her grandmother at a garage sale in Russellville, Arkansas in the 1970’s.

She went on to say that her mom currently has it, and "we have always admired it."  

She ended by saying "If you find anything else out about the artist, it would be fun to know!"  Well, DeAnna, I couldn't agree with you more.  When I started this blog almost twelve years ago I was sure that within a very short time someone would come forward and say that they were M. Devoe.  Or that their mother, neighbor, cousin, sister, dentist, congressman or friend was M. Devoe.  Sorry to say that after almost 12 years we do not know any more about the elusive M. Devoe than we did when we started.

In the meantime collectors have graciously allowed me to feature their Devoe paintings on this blog, and I thank DeAnna and all the others for their permission.  We can all agree that we love our M. Devoe paintings and that while they may all be similar, they are not like anything else any other artist has painted.

Not a week goes by that a Devoe does not end up on ebay, and some are selling for quite good prices.

Today is December 31, 2025.  Maybe 2026 will be the year we finally find out who M. Devoe was.

COULD THE DEVOE PAINTINGS HAVE BEEN MASS PRODUCED?

I recently received an email from a Devoe collector:

Have u ever considered that these pictures are similar to ones signed "Turner" which were produced by Turner manufacturing in Chicago?  Devoe is a well known paint company. 

The Turners seem to b airbrushed, whereas the Devoes seem painted. Nevertheless, I can imagine a factory with employees "painting" these. They actually do have individual differences on pictures that ,on first glance, look identical.therefor, I think they were hand painted, but probably not by one person.

I used to go to flea markets, and it was common to see these. I have 8 of them. The fact that I've seen so many makes me think they were mass produced. 

Here's my response:

Hello - No, I have never considered that the DeVoe paintings could have been mass produced - in fact you are the first person to have brought it up.  The more I thought about it the more I think it is unlikely.

I have been contacted by literally hundreds of people about Devoe - dealers, collectors, Floridians (most people think Devoe lived in Florida) or the just plain curious.  And until I heard from you yesterday none of these people have even suggested it.  If they had been mass produced I think there would be more of them and dealers or collectors would have known about them.

Secondly, I have never seen 2 of the same images.  Some are similar, some even close to being duplicates but I have never seen two of the same image.  I think it would be cost-prohibitive to mass produce paintings with each being different.  No one has ever contacted me about the Devoes I have listed saying "Oh, I have that one too."

I purchased my DeVoes in the 1970s.  When I started the blog 11 1/2 years ago I was certain that someone would come forward and say "M. DeVoe was my mother" or brother, or cousin, or neighbor.

Conversely no one has come forward and said "I worked for the company that produced the Devoes."

Thanks for your comments but M. DeVoe will have to remain hidden, for now.

This collector was nice enough to send me photos of three of their Devoes:

Note that the flamingoes are in the original frame with the mirrored inserts.