On November 3 at 2 p.m. Bonhams will present roughly 110 lots from several private collections in its American Art Sale, two of which have particularly strong offerings of traditional American art. Hudson River School works feature prominently in Vision of 19th Century: Property from an Important Private Collection, while Ashcan School and modernist works are among the highlights in Property from a Prominent New England Collection. Artists represented in the sale include John Frederick Kensett, Newell Convers Wyeth, John Marin, Richard Edward Miller, John Sloan, Milton Avery, Thomas Moran, Sanford Robinson Gifford, William Trost Richards, Charles Ephraim Burchfield, Mary Cassatt, Guy Carleton Wiggins, Joseph Stella, John Koch and more.
John Frederick Kensett (1816-1872), Scene Near Greeley, Colorado, 1871. Oil on canvas, 361⁄8 x 601⁄8 in. Estimate: $120/180,000
Leading the sale is Kensett’s Scene Near Greeley, Colorado, a grand Western landscape painted in 1871. Returning to the market for the first time in nearly 20 years, the piece has a pre-sale estimate of $120,000 to $180,000, which “reflects the exceptional combination of quality, scale, rarity and subject,” explains Bonhams head of sale Aaron Anderson. “Kensett’s western landscapes are much less frequently encountered than his better-known views of the Hudson River Valley, New England and the coast. Scene Near Greeley, Colorado captures the expansive plains and distant Rocky Mountains while retaining the quiet, atmospheric quality that defines his mature work.”
Another lot of note is N.C. Wyeth’s tempera on panel The Vigil, 1939, estimated at $100,000 to $150,000. Also fresh to market, it was created for the Scribner’s edition of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ The Yearling and is one of 13 illustrations Wyeth made for the book. Anderson adds, “Its exceptional provenance and poignant subject demonstrate his remarkable gift for visual storytelling.”
John Sloan (1871-1951), Landscape Sketch and Brunette Nude, Striped Blanket: A Double-Sided Work (verso), ca. 1928-30. Oil on canvas, 33 x 39¼ in., signed ‘John Sloan’’ (upper right, verso) and inscribed ‘BRUNETTE NUDE’ (on the tacking edge). Estimate: $70/100,000
Another compelling lot is a two-sided canvas by Sloan featuring a Gloucester, Massachusetts, landscape he painted in 1917, and a female nude he painted roughly a decade later, “a seemingly disparate pairing but one that reflects the breadth of his interests as an artist,” notes Anderson. “[But] rather than viewing the reverse as simply an unused surface, I think it is better understood as evidence of Sloan’s working practice. Artists have long reused canvases, particularly when working quickly or experimentally, and Sloan was an extraordinarily productive artist...The juxtaposition of the two subjects is also revealing. Sloan’s Gloucester landscapes were an important part of his artistic development. Beginning in 1914, he spent successive summers there painting directly from nature, seeking what he described as a new way ‘to keep at work.’ The experience allowed him to concentrate on color, design and observation away from the urban subjects with which he was most closely associated. The nude, by contrast, reflects his continued engagement with the human figure. The two sides therefore represent different but complementary aspects of Sloan’s practice rather than being entirely unrelated subjects.” Landscape Sketch and Brunette Nude, Striped Blanket: A Double-Sided Work is estimated to fetch between $70,000 and $100,000.
John Sloan (1871-1951), Landscape Sketch and Brunette Nude, Striped Blanket: A Double-Sided Work (recto), 1917. Oil on canvas, 33 x 39¼ in., signed ‘John Sloan’’ (upper right, verso) and inscribed ‘BRUNETTE NUDE’ (on the tacking edge). Estimate: $70/100,000
Also on offer is a 1923 watercolor by Marin titled Village, Maine ($70/100,000), which Anderson describes as “a poignant example of the innovations Marin was exploring during the 1920s, when his depictions of coastal Maine became increasingly experimental in their use of space, form and color.”
Based on the results of recent American art auctions, Anderson has reason to expect a successful outcome for Bonhams’ upcoming sale. “The recent American art market has demonstrated that collectors remain highly selective and engaged with exceptional works, particularly those that combine quality, rarity and strong provenance, while occupying a compelling place within both an artist’s career and the broader history of American art. This sale brings together a number of works that exemplify this profile.” —
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