Instant Classics

Norman Rockwell’s Home for Thanksgiving leads Heritage Auctions to its highest earning fine art sale

A Norman Rockwell painting titled Home for Thanksgiving was a timely and successful offering during Heritage Auctions’ November 5 American Art Signature Auction. The work, a Saturday Evening Post cover depicting a mother and her soldier son peeling potatoes, achieved $4,305,000 to become the day’s highest earning lot. Along with the signature subject matter, the work had a charming backstory as it was consigned by the Eugene M. Connor Post #193 of Winchendon, Massachusetts, to benefit its operation and building funds.Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), Home for Thanksgiving, The Saturday Evening Post cover, November 24, 1945. Oil on canvas, 35 x 33 in., signed and inscribed lower center: ‘Thanksgiving / Norman Rockwell’; inscription verso: ‘P765’. Estimate: $4/6 million SOLD: $4,305,000

“This is a classic period for Rockwell [and was notable because] the work depicted the World War II homecoming and it was fresh to the market,” says Aviva Lehmann, Heritage’s director of American art. “The story of the Massachusetts American Legion Post donating the work to stay open so Army veterans have a place to go [was beautiful]. We were pleased to help them on this journey.”

The work was one of the many standouts in the sale, which achieved $11,189,813 to become the most successful fine art auction in the firm’s history. There were more than 1,000 bidders registered online, in house and by phone. The sale yielded a robust 94.4 percent sell-through rate by value.Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874-1951), Summer, The Saturday Evening Post cover, August 27, 1927. Oil on canvas,
26½ x 19½ in., signed with monogram lower left: ‘JCL’. Estimate: $200/300,000 SOLD: $325,000

The illustration segment was met with anticipation, as with many of the auction house’s sales. Along with the Rockwell—and others by the artist including a Portrait of Richard Nixon that sold for $150,000—there were solid results for Joseph Christian Leyendecker, Maurice Sendak, Howard Chandler Christy, Joseph Francis Kernan and more.

Leyendecker was represented by two playful Saturday Evening Post cover works in the auction: Summer (est. $200/300,000) and Circus Dog (est. $100/150,000), which both bested their presale estimates. Summer sold for $325,000 and Circus Dog achieved $162,500. Where the Wild Things Are author and illustrator Sendak achieved a world auction record with this Art Institute of Chicago poster illustration The Junior Museum. The work soared above its estimate of $100,000 to $150,000 when it achieved $175,000.Maurice Sendak (1928-2012), The Junior Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago poster illustration, 1984. Watercolor, ink, and pencil on paper, 267/8 x 237/8 in. (sheet), signed lower right: ‘Maurice Sendak’. Artist World Auction Record. Estimate: $100/150,000 SOLD: $175,000

Classic American artwork was strong in the auction as well. Robert Henri’s portrait of Sarah Burke (est. $150/250,000) sold for $275,000, while an Albert Bierstadt landscape titled Sentinel Falls and Cathedral Peaks in the Yosemite Valley (est. $300/500,000) achieved $281,250. “The Henri had great provenance, was fresh to market and bidders really responded,” says Lehmann.

Andrew Wyeth paintings also performed well with Rough Pasture bringing $125,000, Picnic (Tea for Two Study) selling for $75,000 and Dee achieving $62,500. “The past three seasons we’ve excelled with Wyeth,” Lehmann shares. “Rough Pasture...more than doubled its presale estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. That was exciting for me.”Robert Henri (1865-1929), Sarah Burke, 1926. Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 in., signed lower left: ‘Robert Henri’. Estimate: $150/250,000 SOLD: $275,000

Hudson River School “in general had feverish, passionate bidding,” says Lehmann. It was noted in works such as Jervis McEntee’s And the Year Smiles as It Draws near Its Death, 1877. Lehmann adds, “This was a beautiful work estimated at $20,000 to $30,000, and it blew past it. We had nine bidders and it sold for $100,000. It was very exciting to see that renewed interest in Hudson River.”

Other highlights included a new auction record for Ernie Barnes, whose Every Night, All Night (est. $15/25,000) sold for 10 times its high estimate at $250,000, and nine works by Birger Sandzén that all sold including New Moon, McPherson County, Kansas at $106,250. —

Top 10 Sales
Heritage Auctions, American Art Signature Auction, November 5, 2021 (including buyer’s premium)
Artist Title Low/High ESt. SOLD
Norman Rockwell Home for Thanksgiving $4/6 million $4,305,000
Joseph Christian Leyendecker Summer $200/300,000 $325,000
G. Harvey Cold Leather—Cold Bits $40/60,000 $325,000
Albert Bierstadt Sentinel Falls and Cathedral Peaks in the Yosemite Valley $300/500,000 $281,250
Robert Henri Sarah Burke $150/250,000 $275,000
Ernie Barnes Every Night, All Night $15/25,000 $250,000
Birger Sandzén Twilight on the Smoky $300/500,000 $187,500
Maurice Sendak The Junior Museum $100/150,000 $175,000
Joseph Christian Leyendecker Circus Dog $100/150,000 $162,500
Norman Rockwell Portrait of Richard Nixon $200/300,000 $150,000