Commanding Figures

Sargent, O’Keeffe and Pelton dominate the American category during Christie’s Marquee Week

As anticipated, Georgia O’Keeffe’s The Red Maple at Lake George (featured on the cover of last month’s issue) led Christie’s November 20th Century Evening Sale which, with the 21st Century Evening Sale, anchor of grouping of international art auctions billed under the umbrella Marquee Week. The O’Keeffe commanded just under the mid-point between its high and low estimates when it achieved $12 million.

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Gondolier’s Siesta, ca. 1902-03. Gouache and watercolor on paper, 14 x 20 in., signed, dated and inscribed lower right: ‘to Mrs. Gorham Sargent from her affectionate nephew John S. Sargent -1905’. Estimate: $2/3 million SOLD: $7,395,000

Three works by John Singer Sargent landed among the top 10 lots in the 20th Century Evening Sale, including his Gondolier’s Siesta, which smashed the record for a work on paper by the artist when it more than doubled its high estimate of $3 million to close just shy of $7.4 million. Sargent’s oil Capri from 1878 also nearly doubled its high estimate when it went to the highest bidder for more than $11.4 million; while his Corner of the Church of San Stae, Venice fell just short of achieving its high estimate of $8 million.

Agnes Pelton (1881-1961), Incarnation, 1929. Oil on canvas, 26 x 22 in., signed and dated lower right: ‘Agnes Pelton’ 1929’, signed again and inscribed with title (on the overlap). Estimate: $1.2/1.8 million SOLD: $1,524,000

Childe Hassam (1859-1935), The Flower Seller, 1894. Oil on panel, 16¾ x 12¾ in., signed with artist’s crescent device, dated and inscribed lower left: ‘Childe Hassam 1894 New York’; signed with initials, signed with artist’s crescent device and dated again and inscribed on the reverse: ‘CH New York 1894 S.E. Corner 23rd St. and 5th Ave.’ Estimate: $1/1.5 million SOLD: $2,149,000

Another exciting and perhaps unexpected moment in the 20th Century Evening Sale came when Christie’s achieved the second highest auction price ever for a work by transcendentalist painter Agnes Pelton (1881-1961). Her 1929 oil Incarnation sold within estimates at $1.5 million. Christie’s holds the world-record price of $3.4 million for Pelton’s The Fountains, sold in 2023.

Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), The Carpenters, 1946. Gouache, watercolor and graphite on paper, 19½ x 25½ in., signed and dated lower right: ‘Jacob Lawrence 1946’. Estimate: $700,000/1,000,000 SOLD: $1,682,750

Other top historic American art lots during Marquee Week were works by Childe Hassam, Andrew Wyeth and Jacob Lawrence, whose painting The Carpenters achieved more than $1.6 million in the Post-War & Contemporary Art Day Sale. Hassam’s The Flower Seller led the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale. The piece, an impressionistic New York City street scene, sold for more than $2 million, far above its estimated value of $1.5 million. —