Patricia Jobe Pierce

Patricia Jobe Pierce of Hingham and Nantucket, Massachusetts, died on December 24, 2016. She was 73 years old.

She was born Patricia Marilyn Jobe on May 18, 1943, to Ruth and Leonard Jobe in Seattle, Washington. She grew up in Los Angeles, California, and Old Greenwich, Connecticut, with her twin sister, Charlotte. In her youth, she acted in local theater in Glendale and Greenwich. She was the first female president of Wilson Junior High School in Glendale, and was class President at Greenwich High School. In 1965, she received a bachelor’s degree from the School of Fine Arts at Boston University. She had a lasting interest in civil rights and spoke proudly of marching with Martin Luther King, Jr. As a pastor’s wife, during her first marriage, Pat loved teaching English & Drama at Wareham High School. In 1968, Pat founded Pierce Galleries, Inc., to which she devoted the rest of her working life.  

Pat is most known for her contribution to the American art scene. She was a prominent art dealer, historian, appraiser and authenticator. She was the author of the books: John Joseph Enneking, American Impressionist (1972); The Ten American Painters (1976); Edmund C. Tarbell & the Boston School of Painting (1980); The Watercolored World of JWS Cox (1981); Richard Earl Thompson, American Impressionist (1982); The Ultimate Elvis (1994); Love (2000); Art Collecting and Investing (2003); Edward Henry Potthast, More than One Man (2006).  She wrote articles for an array of art magazines and an online blog for Newsmax.  She never stopped writing, and she would never retire from her beloved Pierce Galleries.  Over her lifetime, she sponsored painters, sculptors, musicians, dancers and other artists.  With a gregarious personality, she loved connecting with people from all walks of life.  She always had time to speak with anyone about art, life, and love. 

Pat is survived by two children, Christine Johnson of San Diego, California, and Matthew Jobe Pierce of Brunswick, Maine, by her granddaughter, Kimberly Nicole McAdams of San Diego, and by her loving husband, Marco Apollo Pierce of Hingham and Nantucket, Massachusetts.   

A celebration of Pat’s life will be held at a later date, on the island of Nantucket, where she so loved to live. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to the Nantucket Arts Council, P.O. Box 2176, Nantucket, MA 02584.