As anticipated, Louis Rittman’s Hollyhocks was the star of Christie’s October online sale American Atmosphere: An Important Private Collection. When the painting sold for $403,000, more than doubling its low estimate of $200,000, the sale was well on its way to reaching its total of $2.5 million and a 95 percent sell-through rate.
Theodore Earl Butler (1861-1936), Statue of Liberty, N.Y. in Mist, 1899. Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in., signed and dated lower right: ‘TE Butler 99’; signed and dated and inscribed with title on reverse: ‘Theodore E. Butler, 1899’. Courtesy Christie’s Images LTD., 2024. Estimate: $60/80,000 SOLD: $214, 200
Other highlights of the auction included Theodore Earl Butler’s Statue of Liberty in the Mist, which achieved more than two times its high estimate when it went to the highest bidder for $214,000. Another Statue of Liberty painting in the sale also did remarkably well when Edward Moran’s Nightfall Over New York Harbor sold for more than five times its low estimate when it realized $107,000.
Childe Hassam (1859-1935), The Bather, 1905. Oil on canvas, 22 x 181/8 in.,signed with artists crescent device and dated lower left: ‘Childe Hassam 1905’. Courtesy Christie’s Images LTD., 2024. Estimate: $70/100,000 SOLD: $151,200
Childe Hassam’s Bather and Willard Leroy Metcalf’s Sun Kisses also lived up to pre-sale expectations, both earning $151,000.
“A welcome surprise was seeing that artists with established markets and lesser-known artists could generate such great attention in a sale like this,” says head of sale Quincie Dixon. “For example, we are thrilled at the performance of our top lots! On one hand, our Childe Hassam sold for more than double its low estimate, but on the other our Charles Vezin of the Singer Building sold for more than 11 times its low estimate and set a new world record for the artist!
Willard Leroy Metcalf (1858-1925), The Sun Kiss, 1908. Oil on canvas, 26 x 29 in., signed and dated lower right: ‘W.L. Metcalf. 1908’. Courtesy Christie’s Images LTD., 2024. Estimate: $100/150,000 SOLD: $151,200
“There is so much growth potential in the markets for artists who were overlooked in their day, especially female artists,” Dixon continues. “Our Jessie Arms Botke and Felicie Waldo Howell works performed unbelievably well, which is a testament to that. That interest is only going to continue developing, and I’ll be enthusiastically watching.”
American Atmosphere saw enthusiastic participation from around the globe with interest and participation from nine different countries across four continents. “We have proven that interest is growing globally, which is extraordinarily exciting,” says Dixon. “I attribute the interest in our category from a value perspective as well as a growing recognition of American artists’ roles within the wider context of art history.
Edward Moran (1829-1901), Nightfall Over New York Harbor. Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in., signed lower left: ‘Edw. Moran’. Courtesy Christie’s Images LTD., 2024. Estimate: $20/30,000 SOLD: $107,000
“The future is bright for American art! We look forward to keeping the momentum going in our 19th-century American and Western art auction in January, and our modern American art auction in April.” —
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