Sotheby’s Autumn Auction of American Art To Be Held on 4 December 2013 in New York FEATURING MASTERWORKS BY NORMAN ROCKWELL FROM THE STUART FAMILY COLLECTION Our Coverage Sponsored by Maine Woolens
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Sotheby’s upcoming autumn auction of American Art in New York on 4 December 2013 will be led by an extraordinary selection of paintings by Norman Rockwell from the family of Kenneth J. Stuart Sr., the artist’s longtime friend and art editor at The Saturday Evening Post. The sale also is distinguished by works from prominent cultural institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, 19th century landscapes and American modernist paintings from an important private collection, and a strong selection of Western paintings and sculpture. The auction will be on exhibition beginning 29 November in Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries.
MASTERWORKS BY NORMAN ROCKWELL FROM THE STUART FAMILY COLLECTION
The seven pictures on offer from The Stuart Family Collection feature two icons of Rockwell’s extensive oeuvre: his singular masterpiece Saying Grace (above, est. $15/20 million*), voted by Post readers as their favorite cover, and The Gossips (left, est. $6/9 million), as well as Walking to Church (page 2, est. $3/5 million) and a color study for Breaking Home Ties (est. $200/300,000), the final version of which set the artist’s current auction record when it sold at Sotheby’s New York in 2006 for $15.4 million. Together, the collection is estimated to achieve more than $24 million.Separate release available
Elizabeth Goldberg, Head of Sotheby’s American Art department, commented: “To offer any one of these masterworks would be a great privilege. To present two of Norman Rockwell’s most iconic works in one auction truly is unprecedented. Kenneth J. Stuart, Sr., who was both a gifted art editor and close friend, led Rockwell to produce what are arguably the greatest works of his career. The men were at their best when collaborating, which clearly is evident in this collection. Rockwell’s vision of American life has become so influential that many of his scenes feel deeply familiar, but when experienced in person these paintings elicit an emotional response that is far more powerful than anticipated.”
EDWARD HOPPER’S CHURCH IN EASTHAM
On offer from the Whitney Museum of American Art to benefit future acquisitions, Edward Hopper’s Church in Eastham from 1948 (left, est. $2/3 million) is a vibrant and quintessential watercolor depicting the Massachusetts countryside in early autumn. Hopper adopts the point of view of a motorist, a unique vantage point that he employed frequently during this period. The vertical elements of the tree, telephone pole and steeple, together with the dynamic cropping and sharp diagonals of the road, fence and shadows, give the work a remarkably modern feel.
Elizabeth Goldberg said: “We are thrilled to present Church in Eastham at a time of pronounced interest in Edward Hopper’s market. This work is notable for its extraordinary condition – it is so fresh and strong, as if it were painted yesterday.”
AN IMPORTANT AMERICAN COLLECTION
The December sale will offer 15 works emerging from a private American collection, where they have remained since they were acquired in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The group features a strong selection of 19th century paintings, with notable canvases from Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Edwin Church and Martin Johnson Heade, as well as strong examples of American Modernism, including works by Arthur Dove and Georgia O’Keeffe.
Painted in 1867, Lake in the Sierra Nevada (right, est. $1.5/2.5 million) is a luminous example of the majestic landscapes that earned Albert Bierstadt his reputation as one of America’s most distinguished artists of the mid-19th century. Mr. James Nichols, the original owner of Lake in the Sierra Nevada, corresponded directly with Bierstadt about the acquisition of the picture. Having rejected the first few options proposed by the artist, Mr. Nichols enthusiastically chose the present work.
Highlighting the 20th century material in the collection are Arthur Dove’s Lattice and Awning from 1941 (left, est. $1.2/1.8 million), a striking and dynamic demonstration of the increasingly abstract qualities the artist’s work developed toward the end of his career, and Thomas Hart Benton’s Still Life with Spring Flowers (est. $200/400,000), painted in 1949.
GEORGIA O’KEEFFE
The December auction includes two works by Georgia O’Keeffe. Blue Flower (right, est. $500/700,000) was gifted by the artist’s husband and gallerist Alfred Stieglitz to Dr. and Mrs. Virginius Hirst of New York in 1944 – the work was acquired by the present owner in 1986. Oak Leaves (est. $450/650,000), painted in 1923, was acquired by a private collector the following year from The Anderson Galleries, with which Stieglitz was closely affiliated. The work has since descended through the same family to the present owner.
N.C. WYETH COMMISSIONS FROM THE PEARSON COLLECTION
Sotheby’s will offer two works by N.C. Wyeth from the collection of Pearson Education, commissioned in the early-20th century by Ginn and Company, an American publishing company particularly known for its textbooks. On offer in December are Beginning of the American Union Washington Salutes the Flag as He Takes Command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, 1775 (est. $400/600,000), which was originally created for a history textbook, and The Cowboy’s Life (left, est. $400/600,000) that was used in another educational series by Ginn and Company titled The World of Music, Song Programs for Youth; Adventure.
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Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby’s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973) and France (2001), and the firstinternational fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby’s presents auctions in eight different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby’s BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids in real-time from anywhere in the world. Sotheby’s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as private saleopportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art department, as well as Sotheby’s Diamonds and Sotheby’s Wine. Sotheby’s has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).
*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium and prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium.
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