Fall in New York City is always a high point for collectors of American art. Art fairs are scattered throughout October and November, as are gallery events up and down Madison Avenue. The art auctions, including Christie’s fall American art sale, are also huge events that bring people in from around the world.Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), Crescent, 1987. Tempera on panel, 15¾ x 21¾ in., signed upper right: ‘Andrew Wyeth’. Estimate: $600/800,000

While this year’s fall lineup will be slimmed down due to health restrictions—many art events have been cancelled, others have been moved to virtual shows—Christie’s is moving forward with an impressive lineup of American artwork. In-person bidding is still restricted, but the auction house has implemented new features that allow for easier absentee, phone and online bidding.

“It goes without saying that this year is obviously different than any we’ve had before, but that being said we are definitely anticipating a lot of excitement around the sales season,” says Caroline Seabolt, Christie’s American art specialist. “Not only will we have an in-person preview, something our clients feel is very important, but we’ve also made huge strides on the technology side of our website, including 360-degree viewing of sculptures and a super zoom feature for the paintings so bidders can see the works as close as they want. We know that not everyone can make it to the preview so we want to mimic that experience as best we can.”Guy Rose (1867-1925), In the High Canadian Rockies. Oil on canvas, 28 x 29 in. Estimate: $400/600,000

Daniel Garber (1880-1958), June, 1908. Oil on canvas, 36 x 44 in. Estimate: $250/350,000

These new features will be available for Christie’s October 28 American art sale, which will feature around 60 major works from many of the great American painters and sculptors across many categories.

One of the early highlights from the sale is Andrew Wyeth’s 1987 tempera work Crescent, which shows a view from his mill in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. “This is certainly one of the leaders of our sale. This area around his mill served as his subject for decades. For this one Wyeth was specifically intrigued by the wooden beam of the mill,” Seabolt says. “Andrew Wyeth’s tempera works are quite rare, and it’s even rarer to see one start under $1 million. His record, which is a tempera, is just above $10 million. So this is an excellent opportunity for someone looking for one of these rare works.”Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), Tango, cast in 1974. Bronze with goldish-brown patina, 34 in., inscribed stamped along the base of the male figure: ‘EN’ and ‘1/3 EJN’. Estimate: $250/350,000

Seabolt also notes that Crescent can be hung upside down, something that was even approved of by the artist. The works is estimated at $600,000 to $800,000.

Elsewhere in the sale is Guy Rose’s phenomenal landscape painting In the High Canadian Rockies, estimated at $400,000 to $600,000. Rose is primarily known for his impressionist figurative works and his California coastal scenes, but brings the drama and beauty of the mountains to this work that will likely have considerable interest from bidders. It was previously in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and was included in the artists’ memorial exhibition after his death in 1925. “A critic who wrote the catalog for that show in 1926 noted that this painting was one of the artist’s masterworks,” Seabolt adds.

Other works include Elie Nadelman’s posthumous casting of Tango (est. $250/350,000), Clyde Singer’s 1938 oil On 14th Street (est. $30/50,000), Grandma Moses’ 1943 oil The Old Oaken Bucket in 1800 (est. $100/150,000), Edward Moran’s 1885 oil America’s Cup 1885 - Puritan and Genesta (est. $100/150,000), and Charles Demuth’s 1885 watercolor and pencil work Houses (est. $100/150,000).Charles Demuth (1883-1935), Houses, 1918. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 10 x 14 in., signed and dated lower left: ‘C. Demuth- 1918-’. Estimate: $100/150,000

“The Charles Demuth work comes from the collection of Abby and George O’Neill. Abby was the granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, who originally purchased the work in 1930 as part of her collection of Demuth watercolors,” Seabolt says. “It was later loaned for a 1932 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, where it hung next to works by Picasso, Matisse and Gauguin.”Grandma Moses (1860-1961), The Old Oaken Bucket in 1800, 1943. Oil on Masonite, 21¾ x 29¾ in., signed lower left: ‘Moses. ©’; dated on the reverse: ‘November 1, 1943’; and numbered on a label affixed to the reverse: ‘464’. Estimate: $100/150,000

Clyde Singer (1908-1999), On 14th Street, ca. 1938. Oil on canvas, 28¾ x 23½ in., signed lower left: ‘Singer’. Estimate: $30/50,000

Another major highlight is Daniel Garber’s June, an oil from 1908 that shows a woman framed by trees along the banks of a river. The work is a rare Garber painting that shows a figure, which should interest collectors of American impressionism. “It’s a large work and just really beautiful,” the specialist says.

Bidding for the American art sale will take place October 28 starting at 2 p.m. EST, following The Legend of the West: Iconic Works from the T. Boone Pickens Collection, which takes place at noon. Highlights in the Pickens Collection include major Western pieces from Frederic Remington, N.C. Wyeth, Frank Tenney Johnson, Oscar E. Bernighaus and others. —

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