The Golden Age

Christie’s American art sale is led by two prominent Golden Age illustrators as the sale surpasses $9 million

With major highlights from prominent Golden Age illustrators, Christie’s spring American Art sale thrilled collectors with strong offerings and robust bidding. The sale achieved $9 million in sales, $18 million if counting the Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason Collection sale that served as the lead-in to the main American sale.Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), Jeff Raleigh’s Piano Solo (“‘Oh Lord,’ Jeff said prayerfully, ‘I wish Alice was here. Oh, I wish she could hear this...’”) (The Virtuoso), 1939. Oil on canvas, 28¾ x 22¾ in. Estimate: $1.2/1.8 million SOLD: $2,910,000

The top lot in the May 18 auction was by a familiar name that has dominated many American art sales in recent years: Saturday Evening Post illustrator Norman Rockwell. His piece Jeff Raleigh’s Piano Solo (“‘Oh Lord,’ Jeff said prayerfully, ‘I wish Alice was here. Oh, I wish she could hear this...’”) (The Virtuoso) had a high estimate of $1.8 million, and it easily blasted past that number before settling on $2.9 million.N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), The Guardians (War or Peace?) (“Nothing would escape their black, jewel-like, inscrutable eyes…”), 1911. Oil on canvas, 467/8 x 377/8 in. Estimate: $600/800,000 SOLD: $750,000

“The present work was published as an illustration for Edmund Ware’s short story ‘Jeff Raleigh’s Piano Solo’ in the May 27, 1939, issue of The Saturday Evening Post,” Christie’s notes about the piece. “Serially published as 26 stories, Edmund Ware’s chronicles of the trials and tribulations of the Raleigh family followed parents Jeff and Alice and their children James, Joan and Charles. ‘Jeff Raleigh’s Piano Solo’ details Jeff’s ceaseless pursuit of the perfect piano for Alice as a birthday gift. Realizing his naivety in this area, Jeff implores a local music professor, Andrew Crawford, to aid him in his search. Crawford also happens to be hosting a famous Russian pianist, Jan Ivan Sabinsky, and the three men band together in hunt for the perfect piano. Surrounded by a sea of pianos in the store’s warehouse, Crawford and Sabinsky delight in trying out each option while simultaneously treating Raleigh to whirlwind performances—filling the cavernous space with melodious tunes until eventually Raleigh selects a winning piano.”Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823-1880), Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire, 1860. Oil on canvas, 12 x 23 in. Estimate: $300/500,000 SOLD: $662,500

Fairfield Porter (1907-1975), The Wave, 1972. Oil on canvas, 12 x 19 in. Estimate: $50/70,000 SOLD: $118,750

Another illustrator with a top lot was N.C. Wyeth, whose The Guardians (War or Peace?) (“Nothing would escape their black, jewel-like, inscrutable eyes…”) (est. $600/800,000) sold within estimates at $750,000.

Elsewhere in the sale was Sanford Robinson Gifford’s Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire, which sold for $662,500, well above its $500,000 high estimate, and two Milton Avery works—Sleeping Nude (est. $300/500,000) that sold for $375,000 and Startled Goats (est. $400/600,000), which finished at $325,000. —

Top 10 Sales
Christie’s, American Art, May 18, 2021 (including buyer’s premium)
Artist Title Low/High ESt. SOLD
Norman Rockwell Jeff Raleigh’s Piano Solo $1.2/1.8 million $2,910,000
N.C. Wyeth The Guardians $600/800,000 $750,000
Sanford Robinson Gifford Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire $300/500,000 $662,500
Milton Avery Sleeping Nude $300/500,000 $375,000
Milton Avery Startled Goats $400/600,000 $325,000
Rockwell Kent Frozen Lake, Alaska $300/500,000 $325,000
Jackson Pollock Untitled $250/350,000 $275,000
Robert Henri Irish Lass $200/300,000 $200,000
Sanford Robinson Gifford A Study of Hunter Mountain… $200/300,000 $175,000
Martin Johnson Heade Sunset at Point Judith Light $150/250,000 $150,000