Dave and Chris Knoke, Marietta, Georgia | July 13-15, 2023
Dave Knoke, former Vice President of Atlanta Federal Bank, began collecting as a side hobby to his corporate job. Always in pursuit of rare objects, collecting soon became one of Knoke’s passions, and in 1972 he opened his first gallery in Atlanta, which featured French and American art glass and Tiffany lamps.
Having a keen mind and inquisitive nature, his collections soon broadened to include Native American cultural objects, with a special affinity for beaded works and he and his wife, Chris, traveled to Santa Fe frequently over the years in pursuit of fine examples. The Knokes are founding members of the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, and it was while attending a gala there he met Dave McGary, a featured artist at the museum. McGary’s finely detailed sculptures of Native Americans have set him apart as one of the United State’s finest contemporary western sculptors.
Of the most important artists to feature in Knoke’s gallery were artists Elliot Dangerfield and Athos Menaboni. Many works from Knoke Fine Art were purchased by Dr. Robert Powell Coggins, whose collection formed the basis of the permanent collection of the Morris Museum of Art. Over the past 20 years, Dave concentrated his efforts on Southern artists and brought to the forefront female artists such as Agnes Richmond and Wenonah Day Bell.
For over fifty years, Knoke Fine Arts has been one of the South’s premier American fine art galleries. It is with honor that Brunk Auctions celebrates Dave and Chris Knoke’s accomplishments as gallerists and contributors to the appreciation of Southern, American, and Native American art.
World-Class Consignments and Exceptional Results