The American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists department at Freeman’s is riding a wave of success with its recent auctions. Between its December 2020 and June 2021 sales, the auction house is seeing its best year to date in the category, with more than $10 million realized in fewer than 200 lots. The 89-lot American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists auction on June 6 achieved a total of nearly $3.5 million, a 91 precent sell-through rate and multiple auction records.
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), Piney Rest Motel (Cozy Rest Motel), ca. 1950. Oil and pencil on canvas, 18 x 17 in., signed bottom right: ‘Norman/Rockwell’. Estimate: $100/150,000 SOLD: $478,800“I’m absolutely delighted. We just had our best year as a company, and for American art, it’s our best year,” says Alasdair Nichol, Freeman’s chairman. He adds, “New material is coming on to the market, which collectors like. The market seems solid, and the Pennsylvania Impressionist market is seeing an influx of new buyers. There’s new blood coming in from across the entire country. People might have second homes in Bucks County, and they’re developing an interest in Pennsylvania Impressionism, or people with homes in New York or other nearby places are looking to collect.”
Sylvia Shaw Judson (1897-1978), Bird Girl, conceived in 1936 and cast in 1936. Bronze with verdigris patina, ed. 2/4, 50 in., foundry mark along the rim of the girl’s dress verso: ‘ROMAN BRONZE WORKS NY’. Artist World Auction Record. Estimate: $100/150,000 SOLD: $390,600
The day was topped by important and rare artwork including works by Norman Rockwell, Sylvia Shaw Judson, Albert York, Daniel Garber, George William Sotter, Fern Isabel Coppedge and Helen Maria Turner, to name a few.
Rockwell’s Piney Rest Motel (Cozy Rest Motel) became the auction’s top lot when it sold for $478,800, a price that tripled its presale estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. The work, which was purchased by a private collector after a bidding war with a phone buyer, was completely fresh to the market from a consignor whose father received the work as a gift from Rockwell.
Albert York (1928-2009), Still Life: Green Apples. Oil on canvas, 20 x 22 in. Artist World Auction Record. Estimate: $40/60,000 SOLD: $239,400There were six works by York in the sale consigned by a collector out of Reading, Pennsylvania. The artist is rare to the market, so it was not only special to have multiple pieces in the sale, but all sold for above estimate. The highest earner of the day, setting a new world auction record, was Still Life: Green Apples (est. $40/60,000) at $239,400. Two other pieces landed in the top 10 lots: Reflections in the Pond (est. $60/100,000) at $163,800 and Ostrich Feathers (Portrait of the Artist’s wife, Virginia Caldwell) (est. $15/25,000) at $88,200. “What’s interesting is three of them when to a local buyer who hadn’t bought from us before,” says Nichol. “They came in during one of the jewelry previews and just fell in love with the paintings.”
George William Sotter (1879-1953), A Bucks County Landmark. Oil on Masonite, 22 x 26 in., signed and dated bottom right: ‘G.W. Sotter.45’. Estimate: $100/150,000 SOLD: $163,800Judson’s Bird Girl (est. $100/150,000) is a recognizable sculpture, having been on the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. This work, after bidding from multiple individuals and institutions, sold for $390,600 to a private collector through Olde Hope Antiques in New Hope, Pennsylvania. It set a world auction record for the artist.
In the Pennsylvania Impressionism category, the top lot was Garber’s Houses – Shannonville (est. $150/250,000) at $189,000. Other successes included Sotter’s A Bucks County Landmark at $163,800, which bested its high estimate of $150,000, and Fern Isabel Coppedge’s Village in Winter (est. $60/100,000), which landed in estimate at $94,500. —
Top 10 sales
Freeman’s, American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists, June 7, 2021 (including buyer’s premium)
Artist Title Low/High ESt. SOLD
Norman Rockwell Piney Rest Motel (Cozy Rest Motel) $100/150,000 $478,800
Sylvia Shaw Judson Bird Girl $100/150,000 $390,600
Albert York Still Life: Green Apples $40/60,000 $239,400
Daniel Garber Houses – Shannonville $150/250,000 $189,000
Albert York Reflections in the Pond $60/100,000 $163,800
George William Sotter A Bucks County Landmark $100/150,000 $163,800
Albert York Jar of Wildflowers $40/60,000 $100,800
Fern Isabel Coppedge Village in Winter $60/100,000 $94,500
Helen Maria Turner The End of My Porch $20/30,000 $88,200
Albert York Ostrich Feathers (Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Virgina Caldwell) $15/25,000 $88,200
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