The May 16 American Art sale at Freeman’s | Hindman brought in a total of $773,494 with an 88 percent sell-through rate. The spring auction offered a number of exceptional examples of historic American artwork, with Andrew Newell Wyeth’s 1986 watercolor Two Masters taking the honor of the top lot at $95,250. “The nostalgia-suffused work was quite emblematic of Wyeth’s still lifes and everyday subjects, and we delighted to have the opportunity to market it,” says Pauline Archambault, Freeman’s | Hindman fine art specialist and head of sale. Next in line was Alfred Thompson Bricher’s Autumn Idyll, which more than doubled its $40,000 high estimate when it sold for $82,550. The third highest selling lot was Bahamian View, a tropical oceanfront scene with swaying palm trees by Albert Bierstadt, selling just above its $50,000 high estimate at $50,800. 

Andrew Newell Wyeth (1917-2009), Two Masters, 1986. Watercolor on paper, 29 x 26 in. Estimate: $100/150,000 SOLD:$95,250

“The main takeaway is that it is critical to present quality material for the more traditional American art,” says Archambault. “It is a narrower market now with a dwindling pool of buyers, and bidding wars will occur but usually with the right concurrence of factors, such as outstanding paintings, relatively fresh to the market, with attractive estimates. Several lots exemplified that this is the recipe for success in the current market conditions, from impressionists like Frank Dudley to Hudson River School artists like Bricher.” Archambault explains that among the lots that performed particularly well, the pattern was that they were either exceptional examples by the artist, as in the case with Bricher’s Autumn Idyll, or more scarce examples, like Bierstadt’s Bahamian View. “[They] garnered intense attention, which we were able to gauge prior to the auction with numerous inquiries,” she adds. 

Alfred Thompson Bricher (1837-1908), Autumn Idyll, 1868. Oil on canvas, 20 x 40 in. Estimate: $20/40,000 SOLD: $82,550

Grandma Moses (1860-1961), The Old Oaken Bucket in Spring, 1944. Oil on Masonite, 21¼ x 35 in., signed lower left: ‘Moses’. Estimate: $70/90,000 SOLD: $47,625

“Aside from traditional American art, the results for other lots that performed well—Bulman, Speight, Gruppe [and] Faulkner—confirm a trend we’ve been observing for a few seasons now, with more modern, colorful paintings garnering solid interest,” Archambault continues. “We established a record for Speight last fall, and it was encouraging to see the desirability of his work confirmed.” 

Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), Bahamian View. Oil on paper laid on board, 18¾ x 14 in. Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD: $50,800

Speight’s 1972 oil on canvas Home Place achieved $28,575 against an estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. Grandma Moses saw great results as well, with her lively scenes The Old Oaken Bucket in Spring and Cutting Ice both achieving $47,625, securing the top fourth and fifth lots of the sale. 

Top 10 LOTS

Freeman’s | Hindman’s American Art sale on May 16, 2024 (including buyer’s premiums)

Artist  |  Title  |  Low/High ESt.  |  SOLD

Andrew Newell Wyeth  |  Two Masters  |  $100/150,000  |  $95,250

Alfred Thompson Bricher  |  Autumn Idyll  |  $20/40,000  |  $82,550

Albert Bierstadt  |  Bahamian View  |  $30/50,000  |  $50,800

Grandma Moses  |  The Old Oaken Bucket in Spring  |  $70/90,000  |  $47,625

Grandma Moses  |  Cutting Ice  |  $50/70,000  |  $47,625

Fortunato Arriola  |  Nicaraguan Landscape  |  $10/15,000  |  $28,575

Francis Speight  |  Home Place  |  $15/25,000  |  $28,575

Orville Bulman  |  Treeway  |  $8/12,000  |  $24,130

Carl Rudolph Krafft  |  Triad of Life: Highlighting Labor, Business…  |  $6/8,000  |  $21,590

Mary Cassatt  |  Sketch of Mother Jeanne’s Head Looking Down (No. 3)  |  $15/25,000  |  $21,590

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