Hans Hofmann (1880-1966), Fall Foliage (H.H. 976-1959, V. P1151). Oil on panel, 141/8 x 111/8 in., signed and inscribed on verso: ‘Hans Hoffmann 59’. Courtesy Brunk Auctions. Estimate: $20/30,000 SOLD: $66,000
Asheville, NC
Brunk Auctions
September 13-14
Premier & Emporium Auction
$1.54 million
Brunk Auctions, based in Asheville, North Carolina, realized $1.54 million with 92 percent of total lots sold during its Premier & Emporium Auction on September 13 and 14. Bidders and buyers hailed from 17 countries across six continents.
While the sale included a diverse range of categories, works in historic American art claimed some of the prime results—Hans Hofmann’s modern work Fall Foliage more than doubled its high estimate of $30,000 when it sold for $66,000, while Maud Gatewood’s Morna (The Artist’s Companion) achieved $28,800 from an estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. In addition, Flowers by Andy Warhol realized $26,400 and Fifth Avenue in the Snow by Guy Carleton Wiggins sold for $19,200, among other prominent American lots in the sale.
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Fitz Henry Lane (1804-1865), Vessel Returning from Surinam. Oil on canvas, 18 x 30¼ in. Courtesy Skinner Inc. Estimate: $80/120,000 SOLD: $92,250
Boston, MA
Skinner Inc.
September 26-27
American & European Works of Art
$1.8 million
Highlights from Skinner Inc.’s September sale, which achieved $1.8 million, saw stellar results for a number of 19th- and 20th-century American artists. Among these is Vessel Returning from Surinam by Fitz Henry Lane, an impressive marine painting with Massachusetts provenance, likely dating back to the late 1840s. The lot sold for $92,250 (est. $80/120,000). An important Hudson River-style painting by Alexander Helwig Wyant, titled Lake Placid and Whiteface in the Adirondacks, beat its high estimate of $18,000 two times over when it sold for $43,050. Perhaps one of the most notable sales was an oil by African-American abstract expressionist Norman Wilfred Lewis, titled Abstract, which absolutely demolished its $8,000 to $10,000 estimate, selling for a staggering $183,000. The 1966 painting is a key example of his mature style, characterized by calligraphic brushstrokes and brilliant color.
Norman Wilfred Lewis (1909-1979), Abstract. Oil on canvas, 38 x 56 in. Courtesy Skinner Inc. Estimate: $8/10,000 SOLD: $183,000
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Robert Pummill, Teamwork, 1982. Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in., signed and dated lower right: ‘Pummill 82’. Courtesy Heritage Auctions. Estimate: $25/35,000 SOLD: $40,000
Dallas, TX
Heritage Auctions
September 7
Art of the West
“The attention spent and prices realized in this auction reflect the increased popularity of Western art,” Heritage Auctions Western art director Alissa Ford says of the September Art of the West sale. “Heritage Auctions is proud to be immersed in the groundswell of popularity. Based on the quality of works being consigned, that presence will only continue to grow.”
Claiming one of the top lots of the sale was Robert Pummill’s oil on canvas, Teamwork, which sold for $40,000. The piece exemplifies Pummill’s ability to capture the bond between horse and man, a classic image of the American West.
Other top lots included Don Crowley’s Twilight, which had two dozen bidders chasing after it. It blasted past its $4,000 to $6,000 estimate to sell for $23,750. This is one of the highest prices ever paid for a work by the artist.
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Andrew Melrose (1836-1901), View of Jerusalem. Oil on canvas, 22 x 36 in., signed lower left: ‘Andrew Melrose’. Courtesy Cottone Auctions. Estimate: $4/6,000 SOLD: $14,160
Geneseo, NY
Cottone Auctions
September 28
Fine Art & Antiques
$1.8 million
New York-based auction house Cottone Auctions achieved a total of $1.8 million during the Fine Art & Antiques sale, which took place September 28. The top lot was undeniably a rare roman head of Dionysus from a New York family purchased in the 1920s, which sold for $413,000, though a number of American fine art pieces saw successful results as well.
An oil by traditional landscape artist Andrew Melrose—View of Jerusalem (est. $4/6,000) reached $14,160, more than doubling its high estimate. Additionally, Andy Warhol’s Vegetarian Vegetable, from Campbell’s Soup II broke its high estimate of $25,000, selling for $27,000.
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Joseph Raphael (1869-1950), Tea in the Orchard, ca. 1916. Oil on canvas, 39 x 46¾ in. Courtesy Bonhams. Estimate: $400/600,000 SOLD: $548,075
Los Angeles, CA
Bonhams
August 6
California and Western Paintings and Sculpture
$2.36 million
Seven world auction records were set at Bonhams’ California and Western Paintings and Sculpture sale, which took place this past August. The 173-lot sale achieved a total of $2.36 million, was sold 75 percent by lot and 87 percent by value. One of these records comes from American impressionist Joseph Raphael, who took the top lot for his circa 1916 oil Tea in the Orchard, which sold for $548,075, nearly reaching its high estimate of $600,000. Considered one of Raphael’s best post-impressionistic paintings, the work also carries with it a distinguished provenance, having been gifted to the San Francisco Museum of Art by avant-garde collector Albert M. Bender.
Granville Redmond (1871-1935), Sunset on the Pond. Oil on board, 12 x 14 in., signed lower right: ‘Granville Redmond’. Courtesy Bonhams. Estimate: $20/30,000 SOLD: $75,075
“The new record achieved for Raphael was certainly a highlight this evening. This was a superb painting and one of the finest works by the artist to ever appear at auction. After competitive bidding in the auction room, the work finally sold to a client online,” says Scot Levitt, Bonhams director of fine art.
Another top lot in the sale was August Gay’s Fishing Boat Aground, painted around 1930, which sold for $87,575 (est. $60/80,000). Notably, paintings from both Granville Redmond and Thomas Hill shattered their high estimates—Redmond’s Sunset on the Pond sold for $75,075 (est. $20/30,000), while Hill’s Yosemite Valley (El Capitan and Bridal Veil Falls) realized $68,825 (est. $25/45,000).
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Daniel Garber (1880-1958), Environs of Milford, 1946. Oil on canvas, 28 x 30 in. Courtesy Sotheby’s. Estimate: $200/300,000 SOLD: $325,000
New York, NY
Sotheby’s
September 17
American Art
$3.7 million
Kicking off the fall season, Sotheby’s American Art sale in New York achieved superb results, reaching a total of $3.7 million. Among some of the top lots in the sale was Pennsylvania Impressionist Daniel Garber’s Environs of Milford (est. $200/300,000), which sold for $325,000. The piece paints an idyllic picture of a river behind a row of charming homes with plentiful shades of green foliage surrounding the scene. Milton Avery’s Mexican Washerwomen, depicting two women washing garments near several cattle, broke its low estimate of $200,000 when it sold for $225,000.
Milton Avery (1885-1965), Mexican Washerwomen. Oil on canvas, 281/8 x 361/8 in., signed: ‘Milton Avery’; dated lower right: ‘1946’, inscribed in another hand on verso: ‘Mexican Washerwomen/by/Milton/Avery/28 by 36/1946’. Courtesy Sotheby’s. Estimate: $200/300,000 SOLD: $225,000
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Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823-1900), Starrucca Viaduct, Pennsylvania, 1864. Oil on canvas, signed lower center and dated: ‘1864’; titled on the original label verso, giving his Hastings-on-Hudson address and having a label: ‘Return to Wilmurt & Son, NY.’ Courtesy Thomaston Place Auction Galleries. Estimate: $50/100,000 SOLD: $81,900
Thomaston, ME
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
August 23-25
Summer Auction
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ annual summer sale featured diverse collections of fine art, folk art, rare firefighting memorabilia and nautical artifacts. The three-day sale, which took place August 23 to 25, generated strong participation from more than 200 in-house, more than 300 phone/absentee, and more than 1,000 online bidders from across the United States and more than 30 countries.
“Three days at the podium is strenuous work, but the aggressive bidding kept me going throughout the sale. We saw amazing activity from around the world, and best of all, there was lots of action among live, in-house bidders,” says Kaja Veilleux, Thomaston Place president and auctioneer.
The top lot was an important maritime painting by John Stobart titled New Orleans, 1871 that sold for $111,150, breaking its estimate of $80,000 to $100,000. Another key work was Jasper Francis Cropsey’s Starrucca Viaduct, an 1864 oil depicting the famous Pennsylvania Starrucca Viaduct, which sold for $81,900. —
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