Norman Rockwell’s Painting Tops Christie’s American Art Auction

Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Hills and Mesa to the West, oil on canvas, painted in 1945. Sold for $3,749,000 as part of Christie’s American Art Sale. Image courtesy of Christie’s

ART AUCTION

BY KAZAD

American artists including Norman Rockwell, Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper and other artists of the 19th and 20th century made record auction prices at Christie’s American Art auction at the Rockefeller Plaza, New York

NEW YORK, NY– It was a big outing at the Christie’s auction of American Art. The art sale held at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York offered a strong selection of fresh-to-the-market 19th and 20th century paintings, works on paper and sculptures. Works by the most important artists of their day were featured in this auction that attracted collectors from across the globe. Presented under genres of Modernism, American Impressionism, Illustration and Western Art, the list of artists included Maxfield Parrish, Oscar Bluemner, Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Milton Avery, Louis Ritman, Childe Hassam, Frederick Carl Frieseke, Newell Convers Wyeth, Grant Wood, and Thomas Hart Benton amongst many others.

157 lots were presented during the art auction with the hope of realizing in excess of $46 million. At the end of the American Art sale, 106 lots were sold making a total of $46,543,250. Topping the art sale was Norman Rockwell’s Willie Gillis: Hometown News, an oil on canvas painted in 1942, that sold for $4,197,000. Several artists also set new art price records for their works. Grant Wood (1891-1942), set world auction record for a work on paper with Study for Dinner for Threshers. It sold for $1,565,000. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), also set a world auction record with her sculpture titled Abstraction. It sold for $1,061,000.

ART AUCTION | READ ALSO: Picasso’s Ceramics Auction Exceeds $1 Million at Christie’s

The success of the American Art Auction Elizabeth Beaman, Head of American Art at Christie’s notes shows the commitment of the auction house to bringing the best art to the art market. She stated:

 The sale was led by iconic American Illustrator Norman Rockwell’s Willie Gillis: Hometown News, which sold for $4.2 million, doubling its low estimate. American Modernist works also saw top prices, with Georgia O’Keeffe’s Hills and Mesa to the West and Oscar Bluemner’s Jersey Silkmills, both achieving $3.7 million each. Other top selling American Modernist artists include Edward Hopper and Milton Avery, which shows the continued crossover appeal in American Art from Post-War and Modern collectors. In addition, we set records for both O’Keeffe’s Abstraction and Grant Wood’s Study for Dinner for Threshers. We look forward to the 2015 sale season.

TOP TEN LOTS

Here are some the top lot at the Christie’s American Art sale. Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and do not reflect costs, financing fees or application of buyer’s or seller’s credits.

1, Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), Willie Gillis: Hometown News, oil on canvas, painted in 1942. Estimate: 2,000,000 – 3,000,000. Price Realized: $4,197,000-£3,357,600-€2,518,200. Buyer: US Private

2. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Hills and Mesa to the West, oil on canvas, painted in 1945. Estimate: 2,500,000 – 3,500,000. Price Realized : $3,749,000-£2,999,200-€2,249,400. Buyer: US Trade

3. Oscar Florianus Bluemner (1867-1938), Jersey Silkmills, oil on canvas, painted circa 1911 and 1916-17. Estimate: 2,500,000 – 3,500,000. Price Realized : $3,749,000-£2,999,200-€2,249,400. Buyer: US Private

4. Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966), Land of Make-Believe, oil on canvas, painted in 1905. 3,000,000 – 5,000,000. Price Realized : $3,525,000-£2,820,000-€2,115,000. Buyer: UK Trade

5. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Calla Lilies, oil on canvas, painted in 1924. Estimate : 2,500,000 – 3,500,000. Price Realized : $3,301,000-£2,640,800-€1,980,600. Buyer: US Private

6. Grant Wood (1891-1942), Study for Dinner for Threshers, charcoal, pencil and chalk on brown paper laid down on paper, executed in 1934. World auction record for a work on paper by the artist. Estimate: 1,500,000 -2,500,000. Price Realized : $1,565,000-£1,252,000-€939,000. Buyer: Anonymous

7. Edward Hopper (1882-1967), Railroad Embankment, gouache and watercolor on paper, executed in 1932. Estimate: 1,200,000 – 1,800,000. Price Realized: $1,445,000-£1,156,000- €867,000. Buyer: Anonymous

8. Milton Avery (1885-1965), The Orange Shirt, oil on canvas. Estimate: 1,000,000 – 1,500,000. Price Realized: $1,205,000-£964,000-€723,000. Buyer: US Private

9. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), Abstraction, white-lacquered bronze, modeled in 1946; cast circa 1979-80. World auction record for a sculpture by the artist. Estimate: 600,000 – 800,000. Price Realized: $1,061,000-£848,800-€636,600. Buyer: US Private

10. Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), Shipping Out, oil on canvas, painted in 1942. Estimate: 300,000 – 500,000. Price Realized: $1,025,000-£820,000-€615,000. Buyer: Anonymous

Join the art conversation: Share your thoughts and comments. Add to the story