This November Christie’s will present a curated American Art sale centered on 20th-century American modernism. The auction is anchored by the special segment “Modern Icons: Property from an Important Private Collection” that includes 25 lots by blue-chip artists. As a whole, the sale will have approximately 80 works of art with the majority representing this dynamic period of American art.Arthur Garfield Dove (1880-1946), Sunset, 1935. Oil on canvas, 24 x 33 in., signed lower center: ‘Dove’. Estimate: $2/3 million

Leading “Modern Icons” is Arthur Garfield Dove’s 1935 oil on canvas Sunset. “The work is really rare to market and from one of his best decades,” says Caroline Seabolt, the auction’s head of sale and junior specialist. “It’s certainly one of the stars in the grouping for us.” The painting has an estimate of $2 million to $3 million. Another stellar painting with the same estimate is Thomas Hart Benton’s Keith Farm, Chilmark from 1955 that shows off his regionalist and modernist style. The Edward Hopper work on paper Prospect Street, Gloucester, 1928, is also expected to perform well and carries an estimate of $1.5 million to $2.5 million.Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), Keith Farm, Chilmark, 1955. Oil on canvas, 21 x 29 in., signed and dated lower left: ‘Benton ‘55’. Estimate: $2/3 million

Edward Hopper (1882-1967), Prospect Street, Gloucester, 1928. Watercolor on paper, 14 x 20 in., signed and inscribed lower left: ‘Edward Hopper/Gloucester’. Estimate: $1.5/2.5 million

“There are high-value and seven-figure works in the group, but there’s really excellent material under a million as well,” says Seabolt. One of her personal favorites is a “tight and really fantastic” painting by Stuart Davis titled Coast Town Landscape Study from 1940, which has an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. She explains, “It has really fantastic texture, rhythm and color associated with some of his best work. It’s absolutely wonderful.”Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), Builders—19 Men, 1979. Gouache and tempera on paper, 30 x 22 in., signed and dated lower right: ‘Jacob Lawrence 79’. Estimate: $100/150,000

Not a modernist, but coming from the collection, is a stunning 1956 painting by Maxfield Parrish titled Dingleton Farm. Measuring just over 11 by 15 inches, the work has all of the color and details expected in a Parrish. It has a presale estimate of $600,000 to $800,000.Henrietta Shore (1880-1963), Unity, ca. 1922. Oil on canvas, 38¼ x 27½ in., signed lower right: ‘H Shore’; signed on the overlap: ‘H.M. Shore.’; signed again three times on tacking edges. Estimate: $100/150,000

Outside of the “Modern Icons” segment, another illustrator with a prime example in the auction is N.C. Wyeth. His piece “The Boy, Moses…”, from 1928, includes all of the stylistic hallmarks that are known from the artist’s top works. This piece has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), “The Boy, Moses…”, 1928. Oil on canvas, 42 x 32 in., signed lower right: ‘N.C. Wyeth’. Estimate: $250/350,000

“Parrish is part of ‘Modern Icons’, but [both works] are hallmarks of the illustration section. Wyeth is one of the top storytellers of the early 20th century. He was really able to tell a story in paint that no one else could,” Seabolt explains. “Parrish used really dynamic coloring and detail for a style that’s totally unique. We’re thrilled to be offering both of these.”

A circa 1922 Henrietta Shore painting titled Unity (est. $100/150,000) is another notable item and is being sold to benefit the Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego. “Shore is one of those artists who in her lifetime was very popular. Her work received very positive reviews and was as popular as O’Keeffe as far as critics were concerned,” says Seabolt. “But after her death her work is now still somewhat emerging. In this work you can see she was interested in spiritual elements and abstract qualities.” Stuart Davis (1892-1964), Coast Town Landscape Study, 1940. Oil on canvas, 10 x 14 in., signed lower right: ‘Stuart Davis’. Estimate: $400/600,000

Two works from the collection of Martin and Rena Blackman will hit the market. Fairfield Porter’s Island Beach has an estimate of $150,000 to $250,000, while Jacob Lawrence’s 1979 painting Builders—19 Men is set at $100,000 to $150,000. Discussing the latter work, Seabolt says, “It has imagery that recalls what he was doing in the early to mid-20th century. You get that quality in that lesser price than if it was dated later. Those early qualities make it really special. Lawrence has been really underappreciated in the past years until recently, and we’re seeing strong interest in his work at all shapes and sizes.”Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966), Dingleton Farm, 1956. Oil on gessoed Masonite, 11½ x 15½ in., signed and dated lower right: ‘Maxfield Parrish 1956’; signed and dated on label affixed verso. Estimate: $600/800,000

A well-preserved Charles E. Burchfield painting from the property of James William Glanville and Nancy Hart Glanville Collection hits the market with an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. Titled Ancient Maples in August, the work “packs a visual punch in execution, condition and colors,” says Seabolt. Also noteworthy in the auction is a 3-by-5-inch painting By Charles Sheeler titled Conversation #2 that is estimated at $50,000 to $70,000. —

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