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Treadway Toomey Auctions 20th Century Art & Design
The Butch McGuire’s Collection: Selected Property from the Estate of Robert E. “Butch” McGuire and the Iconic Chicago Saloon Saturday, March 4th, 2017 | 10:00 a.m. | John Toomey Gallery, Oak Park, IL Preview Dates:
Auction:
Saturday, February 25th | 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sunday, February 26th | Closed Monday, February 27th | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday, February 28th | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 1st | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday, March 2nd | 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Friday, March 3rd | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, March 4th | 10 a.m. John Toomey Gallery 818 North Boulevard Oak Park, Illinois 60301
Treadway Toomey Auctions is honored to offer a selection of items from the Robert E. “Butch” McGuire Collection on March 4th at John Toomey Gallery, located in Oak Park, IL. It will be 11 years this May since Butch passed away at the age of 76, but his name through the eponymous saloon, Butch McGuire’s at 20 West Division Street in Chicago, continues to live on. Much of Butch’s collection will continue on display at the landmark bar, but the items in this auction are being retired from their rotation. “This will be an opportunity for lovers of the Butch McGuire legacy, in Chicago and beyond, to own a piece of Chicago history,” said John Walcher, who is heading the sale with Joe Stanfield, both of John Toomey Gallery. There are more than 200 lots in the auction, titled The Butch McGuire’s Collection: Selected Property from the Estate of Robert E. “Butch” McGuire and the Iconic Chicago Saloon. The collection’s diverse offerings include: framed art, prints and posters, nautical and maritime objects, antique English pub signs, breweriana and advertising mirrors, steins and mugs, Waterford crystal, carved wood elements and architectural hardware, sports memorabilia, and more. “It doesn’t take long to notice Butch McGuire’s is not your average bar and has a charm to it that most bars never achieve,” Walcher stated. “Butch was an avid and savvy collector of everything bar or nautical related and decorated his bar extensively.” On his travels to Europe, Butch would acquire antique pub signs and decorations to bring back to Chicago. He bid at auctions and purchased items from dealers all over the country. Patrons of the bar included prominent Chicago artists LeRoy Neiman, Bill Olendorf, George Velich, and others. Joe Stanfield learned and recalled, “A great part of the history is that these artists became good friends with Butch and would trade their art for drinks, to settle a tab.” Butch McGuire was born on Chicago’s South Side and graduated from the University of Michigan. He founded Butch McGuire’s Saloon in 1961, after borrowing $1,500 from his mother. The bar, popular since its opening, has over the years become a Chicago institution. Robert “Bobby” McGuire, Butch’s son, carries on the tradition and now runs the 56-year-old establishment and oversees the transitions of the items on display: from the varietal bar and nautical decor from years past, to the green spectacle that is St. Patrick’s Day, to the much anticipated Christmas decorations with excessive lights and fully functional trains throughout the saloon. Due to the volume of Butch McGuire’s collection, Bobby has decided to permanently retire many items from the rotation and offer them for sale at auction.
818 North Boulevard | Oak Park, Illinois 60301 | 708.383.5234 | info@johntoomeygallery.com | www.treadwaygallery.com