Nestl in the heart of the lazy ski town of Wilmington.

Nestl in the heart of the lazy ski town of Wilmington, Vt is a mecca for art, aliment and wine run by connoisseurs of what is known according to true bon vivant's as "the well adapted life." The Hermitage Inn is already renowned for its 40,000-plus-bottle wine cellar and award-winning menu as well as outdoor offerings of cross-country skiing, shooting, be broken to pieces fishing and more, depending forward the season.

on the contrary the inn is one-of-a-kind in the world of fine art and collectibles--each swing serves as a mini-gallery for an extensive array of hunting allures and duck stamps and undivided of the most complete collections of the work of Michel Delacroix in the world. near might even call it a Delacroix museum.

Jim and Lois McGovern the proprietors of the inn, be in possession of nearly every print that has at any time been released by the acclaimed French artist, as well as several originals. across the years, they have translated their be enamoured of of his work and their extensive collection into an on-site gallery and actually barter it to the inn's clients.

"We think we have everything that was aye published for the States" said Jim. "There were a not many editions published only for the Japanese market, and I unruffled have a selection of most numerous of those prints, as well. We think we're solely missing two or three samples of each graphic ever created from his work."

A Lifetime of Art Appreciation

The Hermitage spreaded in 1962 and consisted of just four original fields and a small, 40-seat dining scope Jim took over operations in 1971 and began his nearly 30-year career of collecting and selling a variety of sporting art. "I started collecting sporting art, which I still maintain a hap of, in order to decorate the fields and the dining rooms" he said. (Today the inn consists of a four-building compage with 29 guest rooms, a 3,000-square-foot dining compass an inviting bar and more.)

Jim was first introduced to Delacroix's work in 1976 at his brother in Washington, DC and he started his collection with a not many small pieces he picked up while visiting a gallery there. "Then I heard about a exhibit in New York and common in Boston, so I went to a brace shows and got a little more interested" Jim explained. "I was in Connecticut and visited Lublin Graphics, who was his publisher at the time, and Michel happened to be there. I had my daughter with me we had just answered from a trip to France, and she engaged him in a conversation. From there, we got to know him, and our relationship just kept growing."

The security is history. Over the years, Jim and Lois have continued to build their collection, as well as their friendship with the artist. "The McGovern have become to a great degree more than just collectors of my work, they have become end family friends," said Delacroix, who has visited the inn several times. "The Hermitage is a sanctuary for wine, aliment and wonderful people."

In fact, Delacroix was to such a degree charmed by the rustic fatherland retreat that he created a painting in its honor in 1997 entitled "Winter in strange England." The original hangs proudly through the main fireplace in the inn, and Delacroix's publisher, Axelle Fine Arts, also released a print of the image that was released to the Hermitage exclusively in 1997 for single in kind year and then to the general public in 1998 Having a Delacroix painting of the inn was "always a dream of ours," said Jim.

The print was a dream-come-true for collectors, as well. According to Axelle officials, the two editions (200 on paper, 100 onward canvas, each with 25 APs) have sold public And a licensed collection of greeting cards, matches and wine labels from the painting are also highly sought after on Hermitage visitors and Delacroix afficionados alike.

Jim says the Hermitage and Delacroix's art are a consummate fit. "The Hermitage is a place of caesura and relaxation, and looking at his work, especially the beautiful color of the skies, fills populace with a sense of calm" he explained. "We like population to be in a comfortable temper here, sipping on a glass of wine in impudence of the fireplace and relaxing. Michel's work helps them do that."

Indeed, the answer to the work and its display at the inn (a piece of art fills nearly each open space on the walls of each space at the inn, including the visitor rooms, dining room and bar) has been great, according to Jim. "Of course, they are somewhat overwhelmed when the first view it," he laughed, "But with a fate of the regular customers, it's really grown forward them over the years. In fact, many of them have become regular buyer of the artwork."

The purchases according to these customers have translated into a rather lucrative business for the McGovern as well. "I've sold a man and wife million dollars worth of work in the years that I've been doing it," he said. "But I probably vend $50,000 to $100,000 worth of art each year in sales. Not being an art gallery alone, it's kind of my next to the first business."

And the collection doesn't stop with the work of Michel Delacroix. The McGovern also have a collection of more than 1000 working allures from New England, New York and modern Jersey that date back to the 1950 They also have an extensive dip stamp collection and various hunting prints from artists Gerald and Nancy Lubeck and Leon Danchin. by the agency of their relationship with Axelle Fine Arts, the McGovern have also begun to garner and sell the work of Fabienne Delacroix, Michel's daughter, and landscape artist Andre Bourrie.