NEW YORK, NY.- With assistance from their partial funding program for museums,
Eli Wilner & Company recently created a replica of an early 20th century American frame by Carl Sandelin, for Blowing Smoke Rings, 1939, by Isabel Bishop, for The Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) of the University of Rochester, NY.
As of January 2026, Eli Wilner & Company’s frame funding initiative is announcing another round of $150,000 available for distribution in partial grants. Exciting new projects continue to be submitted on a daily basis by museums across the country. Remaining funds will be committed to new projects by February 28, 2026, and can be used for frame restoration, historic frame replication, or mirror replication projects. Interested institutions can apply by emailing the details of their reframing or frame restoration needs to
info@eliwilner.com. No project is too large.
The Isabel Bishop painting is one of several significant works of American Art recently acquired by MAG, and announced prominently via Artdaily:
“Another standout among the recent acquisitions is Blowing Smoke Rings (1938) by Isabel Bishop, a pivotal figure in 20th-century American realism. This evocative work showcases Bishop's focus on the everyday experiences of urban women, a hallmark of the Fourteenth Street School of artists. Blowing Smoke Rings was purchased through the Marion Stratton Gould Fund.”
Link to full article below:
https://artdaily.com/news/181243/Memorial-Art-Gallery-announces-major-American-art-acquisitions
Wilner’s frame selection process began by researching historical precedence for similar paintings by Bishop and her contemporaries, and then creating an initial suggestion in the form of a digital mockup. Jessica Marten, Curator of American Art at MAG, then visited Wilner’s York Avenue Gallery to review a variety of period-appropriate frames. Ultimately, the study chosen for replication was a carved and silver gilded replica of a mid-20th century American period frame, with a combed-gesso surface, created by notable framemaker Carl Sandelin. Wilner’s team proceeded with further mockups to reach the appropriate scale and provided the curatorial team with finished profile samples to view alongside the painting. The completed frame was successfully united with the painting in April 2025.
Eli Wilner & Company has completed over 15,000 framing projects for private collectors, museums, and institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and The White House. Wilner was honored by the Historic Charleston Foundation with the Samuel Gaillard Stoney Conservation Craftsmanship Award, for their work in historic picture frame conservation. In 2024, Eli Wilner was presented with an Iris Award for Outstanding Dealer of the Year by the Bard Graduate Center in New York City.
