Great Impressions
The upcoming American art sale at Freeman’s Auction includes a number of blue-chip paintings by Pennsylvania Impressionists
2400 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 t: (215) 563-9275 www.freemansauction.com
Being located in Philadelphia, Freeman’s Auction is easily recognized as one of the leading firms for Pennsylvania Impressionist artwork. During its twice-yearly American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists sales, there are always a number of pieces from the biggest names in the category coming to market. On June 7 at 2 p.m. in its new showroom on Market Street, the auction house will continue that tradition with what vice chairman Alasdair Nichol calls “one of the best offerings of Pennsylvania Impressionism to be offered on the market in many years.”
This accolade, he says, is primarily because of a stellar collection of 11 works from the late Heidi Bingham
Freeman’s Auction
Stott, who began collecting art with her husband Robert L. Stott, who passed in 2014, while living in New York City. According to the auction house’s essay by specialist Raphaël Chatroux,“the works on offer reveal a particular predilection for the bold palette and vigorous brushwork typically associated with the Pennsylvania Impressionists whose glorification of the Pennsylvania landscape historically appealed to collectors in neighboring states.” Commenting on the collection, Nichol adds,“they bought very well.the nice thing about the collection is many works date from the 1920s, which is the golden age of that movement.”
The star of the grouping, and the sale as a whole, is Edward Willis Redfield’s Spring at Point Pleasant on the Delaware River from
1926.The work, measuring 50 inches wide, was acquired by the collectors at auction in 2006.“It’s the best one I’ve seen to come up to sale at auction in years,” says Nichol.the piece is estimated at $300,000 to $500,000. Also from the collection are three works by Daniel Garber, including
Rodgers Meadow, from 1922.The piece, depicting a red barn in a desolate landscape, exhibited numerous times in museum and gallery exhibitions. It has
an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. The other pieces by Garber are Autumn Solebury (est. $30/50,000) and September Morning (est. $70/100,000), which both have more pastel tones reminiscent of his earlier output.
A rare Italy scene by Fern Isabel Coppedge is another noteworthy lot. Florentine Gold (est. $25/40,000) “is very different than anything we’ve offered before because it was painted in the 1920s and was from her only visit to Italy in 1925,” Nichol explains.the image depicts the Arno River from the hotel balcony where the artist was staying in Florence. Two nocturnes by George Sotter, with settings near the artist’s home in Bucks County, are other standouts from the group. Moonlight Stream, Birmingham, from 1928, is expected to fetch $50,000 to $70,000, while the other painting is titled Cartersville House.
Outside the collection, there will be four other works by Redfield hitting the market.the most noteworthy is Peaceful Valley (est. $200/300,000), which came through the artist’s family. There also will be a work by N.C. Wyeth from around 1908 when he first moved to Chadd’s Ford.the painting, The Converted Barn (The Artist’s Studio), as Nichol explains, is one where he was “trying really to focus more on the fine art than the illustration side,” so it has a more painterly depiction of the barn that he converted to his studio. It is estimated at $50,000 to $80,000.
Arthur Beecher Carles is represented in the auction by Mlle de C., a 1908 painting that is estimated at $15,000 to $20,000.There also will be two oils in the sale by Theodore Robinson that descended in the artist’s family, including Vermont Hillside, which is expected to sell between $20,000 and $30,000.Three by Theodore Butler will also cross the block, including Le Port of New York (est. $25/40,000).
“There’s a good span of art in the sale,” says Nichol, adding that the Pennsylvania Impressionism offerings, in particular,“are really blue-chip works, ready to go on the wall and will really appeal to private collectors.”