On May 18, Christie’s will present two auctions to collectors of American fine art. Although both sales are quite different—one features American impressionism, regionalism and modernism, and the other highlights Western works—they speak to the vast array of American art that was created in a period spanning more than two centuries.
Thomas Moran (1837-1926), The Castle Rock, Green River, Wyoming, 1913. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in. Estimate: $2.5/3.5 million
One of the sales is the spring American art auction, which will feature a number of major works from a variety of genres. The other sale is Stewards of the West: The Knobloch Collection, highlighting artwork collected from the late entrepreneur and conservationist Carl W. Knobloch Jr., who died in 2016.
Major works available in the American art sale include Thomas Hart Benton’s 1945 oil Gateside Conversation, a 20-by-29-inch work estimated at $1.5 million to $2.5 million. Also available is Frank Weston Benson’s 1914 oil The Hill Top, estimated at $1.2 million to $1.8 million.
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Abstraction, 1917. Watercolor on paper, 15¾ x 10 7⁄8 in. Estimate: $1/1.5 million
Arthur Dove (1880-1946), March, April, 1929. Pastel on canvas, 20 x 20 in. Estimate: $800/1,200,000
Two works by Georgia O’Keeffe will be crossing the auction blocl: the 1917 watercolor Abstraction, estimated at $1 million to $1.5 million, and Abiquiu Trees VII, an oil completed in 1953 that is estimated at $700,000 to $1 million. The two paintings show O’Keeffe’s range, with Abiquiu Trees VII painted in delicately applied brushstrokes and with a lightness in the paint, and Abstraction with its bolder colors and more intimidating forms.
Arthur Dove’s March, April will also be available. The work was painted in 1929 and measures 20 inches square. It’s estimated at $800,000 to $1 million. In addition to the Dove, Childe Hassam’s Flower Girl will also be up for bidding. The work, completed in 1889, is expected to fetch $600,000 to $800,000.
Thomas Moran (1837-1926), A Passing Shower in the Yellowstone Cañon, 1903. Oil on canvas, 16 x 20 in. Estimate: $1.5/2.5 million
In Stewards of the West: The Knobloch Collection, Christie’s will be offering more than 75 works, including a stunning selection of Thomas Moran paintings. One of the top lots is Moran’s 1913 oil on canvas The Castle Rock, Green River, Wyoming, which shows one of the artist’s most beloved subjects, the Green River in Wyoming. The piece, painted with those dramatic pinks and oranges that Moran was fond of at that location, shows the central land feature as it towers over the nearby river. Tucked within the folds of the land are horses and riders as they descend into the river valley. The work is estimated at $2.5 million to 3.5 million.
Another Moran piece is A Passing Shower in the Yellowstone Cañon, a 1903 oil estimated at $1.5 million to $2.5 million. The auction house notes: “This work was created during a seminal moment for American conservation, when President Theodore Roosevelt visited Yellowstone for a second time. Perhaps the nation’s greatest conservationist, in the decade following this inspirational trip Roosevelt would establish the United States Forest Service, create several more National Parks and numerous National Monuments.”
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Abiquiu Trees VII, 1950-53. Oil on canvas, 10 1/8 x 12 1/8 in., dated on stretcher: ‘7/29/50’; and inscribed with title and dated ‘53’ on the original backing.
Estimate: $700/1,000,000
Childe Hassam (1859-1935), Flower Girl, 1887-89. Oil on canvas, 18 x 10 5/8 in., signed with artist’s crescent device lower right: ‘Childe Hassam’. Estimate: $600/800,000
Additional Moran pieces in the sale include Grand Canyon, Colorado River (est. $700/1,000,000), a 1915 oil on canvas, and The Southern Arm of the Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Territory (est. $400/600,000), an 1874 watercolor and gouache on paper laid down on paperboard. Moran first traveled to Yellowstone in 1871 and was immediately impressed with the natural features. It was his watercolors from the trip that helped inspire the government to create the first national park.
Other artists represented in the sale include Henry Farny, William R. Leigh, Joseph Henry Sharp and Albert Bierstadt.
“[Knobloch] built a striking private assemblage of Western American painting and sculpture that reflects his deep commitment to the region, while developing a reputation as a leading connoisseur and collector in the field,” Christie’s notes. “Off the walls of the family’s Wyoming residence, the collection is notable for its exceptional quality and features the leading artists of the genre such as Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Remington and Henry F. Farny, among others. Proceeds of the auction will benefit the Knobloch Family Foundation which is committed to grant making that ensures the conservation of natural ecosystems.”
Thomas Moran (1837-1926), The Southern Arm of the Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Territory, 1874. Watercolor and gouache on paper laid down on paperboard, 10½ x 14 7/8 in. Estimate: $400/600,000 Images courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd. 2022.
Thomas Moran (1837-1926), Grand Canyon, Colorado River, 1915. Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in. Estimate: $700/1,000,000
Tylee Abbott, head of American art at Christie’s, says, “Carl Knobloch’s collection embodies his profound connection to the natural world—a legacy in beauty and stewardship that continues to inspire. It is fitting that such works, which were executed by the artists that first inspired leaders of generations past to preserve our country’s natural wonders, now be distributed for the express purpose of supporting organizations that contribute to the ongoing conservation and broader appreciation of these landscapes.”
Both sales will take place during American Art Week in New York City. —
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