Christie’s seasonal American art sales are always chock-full of American greats, everyone from Norman Rockwell and Grant Wood to Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent. But more and more often, some of the artists featured in these sales are not only Western artists or painted in the West, but their lots are frequently riding near the top of the auction once the final hammer has dropped.
N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), The Guardians (War or Peace?) (“Nothing would escape their black, jewel-like, inscrutable eyes…”), 1911, oil on canvas, 46 7/8 x 37 7/8” Estimate: $600/800,000
“We’re always feeling good about the Western material we’re bringing to our American sales,” says Tylee Abbott, the new head of the American department at Christie’s. “And this sale is no different with some really great 19th- and 20th-century works from a range of artists, and at a range of prices, from $20,000 to $200,000 and beyond. These sales are really great opportunities for new collectors to get a smaller work from an important artist, or maybe a bigger work from a lesser-known artist.”
Thomas Hill (1829-1908), Yosemite, 1871, oil on canvas laid down on cradled Masonite, 36½ x 60½” Estimate: $200/300,000Abbott says he’s seeing renewed interest in auctions, particularly from sellers who might have held onto their artwork through the pandemic. “Last year it was a supply challenge because people were holding onto what they had, but now we’re starting to see tremendous interest among sellers so we’re optimistic that the market is in a good place,” he adds. “Now is the time to sell, especially as interest is high and the financial markets are all high.”
Victor Higgins (1884-1949), Moorland Gorse and Bracken, 1911-1912, oil on canvas, 42¼ x 47” Estimate: $70/100,000
On May 18, Christie’s will present its spring American art sale in New York. A number of lots should interest Western collectors, including the big one to watch, N.C. Wyeth’s 1911 illustration The Guardians (War or Peace?) (“Nothing would escape their black, jewel-like, inscrutable eyes…”). The large and early Wyeth work, which first appeared in a November 1911 issue of Harper’s, is a well-known painting that has appeared in numerous museum exhibitions and in books on the artist, including Douglas Allen’s 1972 book N.C. Wyeth: The Collected Paintings, Illustrations and Murals. The painting shows three Native American elders perched on the top of a hill as they gaze down at unseen people below them. The work is estimated at $600,000 to $800,000, but could easily soar past those numbers. “We think it’s conservatively priced for its size and rarity, but these estimates are a good starting place,” Abbott says. “These paintings regularly break a million dollars, so it should be fun to watch.”
Charles Schreyvogel (1861-1912), The Last Drop, modeled in 1903, bronze with green patina, 12” Estimate: $40/60,000
Other lots include the Victor Higgins’s scene of the English countryside Moorland Gorse and Bracken (est. $70/100,000), Gerald Cassidy’s Grand Canyon landscape The Rainbow, Desert View, Arizona (est. $15/25,000), and the Charles Schreyvogel bronze The Last Drop (est. $40/60,000). Schreyvogel is primarily known for his action scenes, many of which feature guns drawn and occasionally aimed at the viewer. “If you’re familiar with Schreyvogel’s work, this bronze is a nice moment of calm and consideration,” Abbott says. “His works could be dramatic, action-packed and violent, but this is not that. It’s one of the most iconic bronzes in Western history.”
Another major work in the sale is Thomas Hill’s 1871 painting Yosemite (est. $200/300,000), his most famous subject. “This one is just a top-notch example. Of course it shows the whole expanse of the valley in that classically grand 19th-century style, but there are also some very nice added figure elements in the foreground,” Abbott says. “These figures are important to establish the size and scale of the nature Hill was painting.”
Christie’s American Art sale
May 18, 2021, 11 a.m.
Christie’s, 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020
(212) 636-2000, www.christies.com
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