Georgia O’Keeffe stole the show once again in Christie’s Modern American Art sale on April 16 when her 1932 painting Canadian Barn realized $1,524,000, more than doubling its high-estimate of $700,000.
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Canadian Barn, 1932. Oil on canvas, 9¼ x 12¼ in., signed with initials ‘OK’ with artist’s star device, dated ‘-32’’ and inscribed with title (on the original backing). Estimate: $500/700,000 SOLD: $1,524,000
Other works performed even better than expected, including N.C. Wyeth’s “I stood like one thunderstruck, or as I had seen an apparition.” The 1920 illustration from Daniel Defoe’s classic adventure tale Robinson Crusoe topped half a million over its estimated presale value of $200,000 to $300,000.
Other leading lots included Charles Ephraim Burchfield’s Sultry Moon, which realized $381,000, just shy of its estimated value range. The lot essay notes that the work is “a reflection of the artist’s profound thought and symbolic interpretation of nature and the subtle changes brought on by sunlight and…embodies Burchfield’s admiration for the natural world and dedication to depicting its many facets and seemingly never-ending wonders.”
Newell Convers Wyeth (1882-1945), “I stood like one thunderstruck, or as I had seen an apparition.,” ca. 1920. Oil on canvas, 40½ x 30 in., signed lower right: ‘N.C. Wyeth.’ Estimate: $200/300,000 SOLD: $533,400
Charles Ephraim Burchfield (1893-1967), Sultry Moon, 1959. Watercolor on paper mounted on paperboard, 32¾ x 39¾ in., signed with initials in monogram and dated lower leftt: ‘CEB/1959’; dated again and inscribed with title on the reverse. Estimate: $400/600,000 SOLD: $381,000
George Wesley Bellows saw healthy results for his tumultuous seascape Sunlit Surf, which exceeded estimates at $355,600; and, as anticipated, Norman Rockwell’s Fact and Fiction (Old Man and Young Woman Reading) performed well, nearly meeting its high presale estimate when it fetched $342,900.
Rounding out the top 10 lots and helping carry the sale to its overall results were additional works by Rockwell, as well Hale Woodruff, Milton Avery, Paul Cadmus and Hans Hofmann.
George Wesley Bellows (1882-1925), Sunlit Surf, 1913. Oil on board, signed lower center: ‘Geo Estimate: $150/250,000 SOLD: $355,600
While not among the top 10 sales, Cadmus’ striking Winter Still Life, 1970, was the sleeper hit of the auction when it realized $152,400, soaring over its high estimate of $50,000. —
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