A piece from Norman Rockwell’s popular narrative series about “the know-it-all city boy and his country cousins” took the top lot in Hindman’s American Art auction on October 17, 2023.
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), One More Week of School and Then..., 1919. Oil on canvas laid to board, 20¾ x 21 in. , signed lower center: ‘Norman Rockwell’. From the Collection of Joseph S. and Miriam T. Sample. Estimate: $300/500,000 SOLD: $529,000
The 1919 work, Only One More Week of School and Then… sold to the highest bidder for $529,000, surpassing its high estimated value of half a million dollars. Made for the June 14, 1919, cover of Country Gentleman when Rockwell was only 25, the oil painting is the second to last piece chronicling the antics of his beloved characters Cousin Reginald Claude Fitzhugh and his country-bumpkin kin. In the piece we see the chipper Reginald, carrying his schoolbooks in one hand and clutching a bouquet for his teacher, while his sulking cousins trail behind miserable at the thought of suffering through another week of school before summer vacation.
Maurice Brazil Prendergast (1858–1924), Rocky Beach Cove, Marblehead, ca. 1920-1923. Watercolor, graphite, gouache and pastel on paper, 11¼ x 15½ in., signed lower left: ‘Prendergast’ with a beach scene sketch on verso. Property from a Private Collection, Phoenix Arizona. Estimate: $50/70,000 SOLD: $56,700
“Only One More Week of School and Then… is representative of Rockwell’s lighthearted, charming narratives that feature children,” notes a Hindman representative. “Completed early in the artist’s career, it also demonstrates the more expressive and painterly execution that characterizes Rockwell’s work from the late 1910s to early 1930s, before he adopted photography into his technical process. Even without the aid of a camera, the naturalistic detail with which the three boys are carefully rendered—from Reginald’s immaculate suit to the tattered straw hats of the other two boys—reveals the artist’s ability to capture the varied glory of America’s youth. It is through these keen observations that Rockwell was able to create scenes that resonated with his audience, and what ultimately made him one of the most commercially successful artists of the 20th century.”
Also among the top lots were a pair of quintessential beach scenes by Maurice Brazil Prendergast (1858-1924) both of which exceeded presale estimates. Study St. Malo No. 13 achieved $100,800 while Rocky Cove Beach, Marblehead sold for $56,700. Prendergast was known for his depictions of urban leisure-class people enjoying themselves in idyll public spaces, that spoke to the lifestyle of his sophisticated patrons. “The crowd was his signature theme, with anonymous figures enjoying themselves in parks, plazas and on beaches,” notes an auction house spokesperson. “This subject matter allowed him to develop his own distinct style that embraced spontaneous moments…Prendergast captured movement and texture through loosely applied color arranged in a complex patchwork of free brushstrokes, vivid dots and bold tonalities.
LeRoy Neiman (1921-2012), Paddock at Deauville, 1965. Oil on board, 44 x 34 in., signed and dated lower right: ‘LeRoy Neiman’ and date titled on the reverse. Estimate: $20/40,000 SOLD: $69,000
Other highlights of the sale included Paddock at Deauville, a lively 1965 painting by LeRoy Neiman (1921-2012) depicting horse jockeys and spectators in a park-like setting. The piece, which achieved $69,300, far exceeding its $40,000 high estimate, is exemplary of the artist’s vibrant, impressionistic sketches of sporting events. A series of four portraits of United States Presidents by Neiman achieved roughly $40,000 each.
John Wilde (1919-2006), To Shoot a Beetle, 1964. Oil on board, 7 x 8 in., signed upper left with initial ‘J’, dated upper right, signed and dated on the reverse. Estimate: $7/9,000 SOLD: $34,650
“The suite of presidential portraits by Leroy Neiman yielded a thrilling bidding battle during the auction, resulting in prices soaring largely past their pre-sale estimate,” says Hindman fine art specialist, Pauline Archambault. “Along with the Wolf Kahn and Orville Bulman works, which all sold well or slightly above estimates, it confirmed the trend we’ve observed for the past couple of years that the more modern and colorful palettes, veering into abstraction, have really started to excite buyers.”
These works, along with others by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John Wilde and Joseph Paul Vorst were significant in achieving Hindman’s $1.6 million fall sale.
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