The Art of T. Bailey

This is the intriguing tale of the artist T. Bailey, his art, and his equally intriguing associations, real or imagined. The intrigue enshrouds the man himself as a fog rendering him nearly invisible. His art, as identified by his unique signature and technique, is most certainly not invisible. But herein lies the intrigue as many of his critics, and he has many, lend doubt as to his very existence, preferring to attribute the artwork to a number of artists assembled by a charlatan named Morris Hambro, who would acquire the unsigned works of others and affix the T. Bailey signature to them. He would then offer these for sale, no one the wiser. Adding to the intrigue, there were several individuals who personally knew him and his art and on one of his most productive venues, Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The artwork reproduced herein represents some of that painted by T. Bailey on Nantucket and assembled by collectors thereupon. Much of this was painted while the artist was a guest at the Sea Cliff Inn, and some was even used as payment for hotel accommodations; the Sea Cliff Inn located on Nantucket Island was owned by the Folger family, thus lending explanation for the sizable number of pieces contributed by this single collector.