Modernist Wins

The November sale of American Art at Bonhams brought in $1.2 million

The November sale of American Art at Bonhams brought in $1.2 million

Modernism performed well across the board at Bonhams’ November 20 sale of American art. In total, the auction achieved $1.2 million in sales.the two top lots in the sale came from Marsden Hartley—his Dogtown (est. $200/300,000) fetched $262,500 while his Green and Purple Grapes achieved $115,000, squarely within its estimate of $100,000 to $150,000.

A suite of Charles Burchfield works also produced favorable results, with his Trees in a Field

(est. $30/50,000) achieving $37,500. Burchfield’s Trillium and Rock Ledge went for $18,750, and his March Sunlight closed at $10,625. Two lots by Robertvickrey performed well—his Boy with Chalk sold for $15,000 and Nun Walking on a Brick Road achieved $17,500. “There was quite a bit of interest in our selection of Wolf Kahn paintings and all performed well across the sales,” notes Bonhams’ American art specialist Elizabeth Goodridge.“with a spotlight on the artist fueled by recent exhibitions and successful auction sales at other houses, the artist seems to be having a moment this year.”

Kahn’s top lot in the sale was Imaginary Beaver Pond,

which achieved $52,500, over its high estimate of $50,000. His East Penobscot Bay surpassed its high estimate of $30,000 to achieve $33,750, and Two Barns at Dawn sold squarely within its $25,000 to $35,000 estimate for $31,250.

Other high-achieving lots included Edward Willis Redfield’s First Spring Thaw, On the Delaware (est. $60/80,000) and Philip R. Goodwin’s Shooting the Rapids (est. $40/60,000), which both achieved $81,250. Andrew Wyeth’s The Bobsled brought home $62,500, while Stuart Davis’s The Whippets sold for $45,000. A work on paper by John Biggers titled Mother and Children was a surprise success, selling for double its high estimate at $22,500.“The work came to us from the estate of Maxine Marshall,” Goodridge notes.“sales like this continue to prove that fresh material by top artists consistently perform well at auction.”

Bonhams next American art auction will take place May 16 in Newyork.

Marsden Hartley (1877-1943), Dogtown, 1931. Oil on board, 18 x 24 in. Signed and inscribed on verso: ‘Marsden Hartley / Dogtown’. © Bonhams. Estimate: $200/300,000 SOLD: $262,500

Edward Willis Redfield (1869-1965) First Spring Thaw, On the Delaware. Oil on canvas, 381/8 x 50 in., signed lower left: ‘E. W. Redfield.’. © Bonhams. Estimate: $60/80,000 SOLD: $81,250

Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), The Bobsled, 1937. Gouache, watercolor and pencil on paper, 16¾ x 295/8 in., signed lower right: ‘Andrew Wyeth’. © Bonhams. Estimate: $60/80,000 SOLD: $62,500

Marsden Hartley (1877-1943), Green and Purple Grapes in a Basket, 1928. Oil on canvas, 20¼ x 241/8 in. © Bonhams. Estimate: $100/150,000 SOLD: $115,000