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| Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) Saying Grace oil on canvas 43 X 41 in. |
I have a tendency to dismiss "American Art" auctions whenever they appear on the horizon. It's not that there is no American art to admire - on the contrary, there is much American art I do like - it is just that the descriptor "American Art" is too generic and weak (at least for me). Nineteenth century American academicians, of course, do not warrant their own sales, but are instead considered part of the European schools that trained them (John Singer Sargent is the exception, however, as he is claimed by every continent on which he ever worked). Western Artists (American West, that is) have their own sales, as do the Californian Impressionists. If an auction were to be listed as Hudson River School Artwork, or American Tonalism, my interest would certainly be piqued, and if the sale was any form of illustration, from children's books to pulp and pin-up art, I would definitely make a point to see what was up for offer. But when a small-scale auction with the bland title "American Art" pops up, I cannot help but conjure up in my head a sale of the leftovers from other sales, with a concentration of works from periods in America's art history where even the best examples hold little interest for me.
It is a bias I really need to reconsider, and for one simple reason : a few years ago, a surging market interest caused the large auction houses to reconsider their own biases - and the wall separating American illustration from American fine art began to crumble. Where once you had to go to specialty seller like Illustration House to find these works, you can now find examples of great American illustration for sale alongside the works of Georgia O'Keefe, Mary Cassatt, and John Singer Sargent.
In Sotheby's American Art auction, which took place today in New York City, there are many works by illustrators, from people like William Robinson Leigh and Richard E. Miller, who began their careers as illustrators before turning to fine art, to artists like N.C. Wyeth and Maxfield Parrish, who were primarily illustrators and only turned to fine art in their later years. But the main draw in this sale has got to be Norman Rockwell, the illustrator's illustrator, who never considered himself a fine artist, but whose works are likely to set records at today's auction.
The main Norman Rockwell pieces up for sale today are from the collection of Kenneth Stuart, the famed former art editor of the Saturday Evening Post, and a long time friend of Rockwell. Stuart, a former fine artist and illustrator, had a knack for spotting talent, and for knowing when to give his artists freedom to create their best works. Rockwell, who was pretty much given carte blanche to dictate his own Post covers, credited Stuart with making him the artist he was. "Everything I am, everything I have ever done, everything I hope to be, I owe to Ken."
There are several iconic pieces which went on the block today, including "Walking to Church,""The Gossips," and "Saying Grace" - the image which Post readers voted their favorite cover of all time. Though previews are already over (thank you Mutual Art for your "timely" notification system), these works will probably be seen again soon. Insiders expect that the main bidders for these pieces will be museums (Crystal Bridges or the future George Lucas public collection in San Francisco?), so these beloved images may very possibly be available to the public soon.
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| John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) Elsie Wagg oil on canvas 40 X 27.75 in. |
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| Richard Edward Miller (1875-1943) Contemplation oil on canvas 39.5 X 31.75 in. |
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| William Robinson Leigh (1866-1955) A Tough Alternative oil on canvas 28.125 X 22.125 in. |
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| Frank Tenney Johnson (1874-1939) Through the Night oil on canvas 24 X 18 in. |
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| Newell Convers Wyeth (1882-1945) Beginning of the American Union - Washington Salutes the Flag as He Takes Command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, 1775 oil on canvas 34 X 24 in. |
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| George Inness (1825-1894) A June Day oil on canvas 24 X 30 in. |
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| Edward Willis Redfield (1869-1965) Hills of Point Pleasant oil on canvas 24 X 29 in. |
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| Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902) Lake in the Sierra Nevada oil on canvas 21.875 X 30 in. |
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| Thomas Moran (1837-1926) Grand Canyon in Mist oil on panel 13.75 X 20.125 in. |
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| Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900) final study for "The Icebergs" oil on canvas laid down on hardboard 10 X 18.125 in. |
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| Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) The Knave of Hearts : The Six Little Ingredients oil on board 20.125 X 16.375 in. |
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| Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) The Knave of Hearts : List of Characters oil on board 20.125 X 16.375 in. |
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| Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) Christina's Teapot watercolor and pencil on paper 22.75 X 28.75 in. |
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| Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) Field Sparrow watercolor, gouache, and pencil, on paper 19 X 28 in. |
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| Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) Cosmos watercolor and pencil on paper 22.75 X 30.75 in. |
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| Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) Dry Well (Rain Barrel) watercolor on paper 20.75 X 29.75 in. |
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| Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) color study for "Girl at Mirror" oil on photograph 10.25 X 9.75 in. |
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| Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) color study for "Breaking Home Ties" oil on photograph 10.75 X 10 in. |
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| Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) Boy and Shopkeeper : Gone on Business oil and pencil on board 31 X 30 in. |
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| Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) The Day I Painted Ike ('All through that grind of turning on different moods, he never lost patience. At the end - by golly, it was time to go fishing.') oil on canvas 11.125 X 8.125 in. |
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| Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) Naval Academy (Portrait of Captain Edwin Graves) oil on canvas 20 X 16 in |
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| Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) Freedom of the Press : Poor Richard's Almanac oil on canvas 32 X 27 in. |
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| Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) Walking to Church oil on canvas 19 X 18 in. |
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| Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) Norman Rockwell Visits a Country School oil on two joined photographs 9.5 X 21.25 in. |
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| Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) The Gossips oil on canvas 33 X 31 in. |