Emboldened

John Koch’s Siesta achieves its second highest price ever at auction during Bonhams’ July 29 American Art sale

Bonhams’ summer American Art sale saw strong results across all genres. Held on July 29, the sale achieved nearly $2.3 million, exceeding its pre-sale high estimate, and was 84% sold by lot, 96% by value. The top lot was undoubtedly John Koch’s 1962 oil Siesta, which absolutely demolished it’s $60,000 high estimate when it hammered at $596,075. The piece depicts an intimate bedroom scene, portraying the complexities of the male-female relationship. Koch explored topics like physical beauty as well as social issues including race and domestic relations, contributing to the artist’s distinct perspective on this particular subject matter. Siesta appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in 1964 for a special issue titled “SEX in the U.S.: Mores & Morality.”John Koch (1909-1978), Siesta, 1962. Oil on canvas, 301/8 x 25¼ in., signed lower left: ‘Koch’. Estimate: $40/60,000 SOLD: $596,075

Bessie Potter Vonnoh (1872-1955), Day Dreams, modeled in 1898, cast in 1907. Bronze with brown patina, 105/8 in., inscribed and numbered along base: ‘Bessie Potter Vonnoh / No. II. Copyright 1903’; inscribed on base: ‘ROMAN BRONZE WORKS / N.Y.’ Estimate: $40/60,000 SOLD: $62,575

“We are thrilled with the success of our most recent sale of American art. We saw competitive bidding across all of the genres offered in the category, demonstrating collectors’ demand for quality works and the strength of the current market,” says Jennifer Jacobsen, Bonhams’ director of American art. “We are honored to have achieved such a strong price for John Koch’s elegant, beautifully painted work Siesta, which is now his second highest price at auction and a near miss of his world auction record.”John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Mrs. John C. Tomlinson, ca. 1904. Oil on canvas, 581/8 x 377/8 in. Estimate: $200/300,000 SOLD: $212,575

Walt Kuhn (1877-1949), Lady in Vest, 1939. Oil on canvas, 36 x 23 in., signed and dated lower left: ‘Walt Kuhn / 1939’. Estimate: $100/150,000 SOLD: $312,575

Other top lots in the sale include Lady in Vest by Walt Kuhn, a bold and modern oil painted in 1939 that sold for $312,575 (est. $100/150,000); John Singer Sargent’s beautiful oil Mrs. John C. Tomlinson, circa 1904, that achieved $212,575 ($200/300,000); and another Koch, Summer Night, which sold for $162,575 against an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. Additionally, Milton Avery’s Dunes and Blue Sea just broke past its low estimate of $150,000 when it sold for $150,075, while Thomas Moran’s Seminole Village in the Everglades 1860 (Seminole Indians Encamped in a Clearing in a Florida Swamp) more than doubled its high estimate of $50,000 when it hammered at $118,825. —

Top 10 sales

Bonhams, American Art, July 29, 2020 (including buyer’s premium)
Artist Title Low/High Est. SOLD

John Koch Siesta $40/60,000 $596,075
Walt Kuhn Lady in Vest $100/150,000 $312,575
John Singer Sargent Mrs. John C. Tomlinson $200/300,000 $212,575
John Koch Summer Night $80/120,000 $162, 575
Milton Avery Dunes and Blue Sea $150/250,000 $150,075
Thomas Moran Seminole Village in the Everglades… $30/50,000 $118,825
Edward Henry Potthast In Summertime $60/80,000 $100,075
Bessie Potter Vonnoh Day Dreams $40/60,000 $62,575
Theodore Robinson Barbizon $40/60,000 $52,575
Elizabeth Catlett Legacy $15/25,000 $35,075