Bonhams’ highly anticipated New York sale of American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculptures will take place on May 26th. Consisting of just over 100 lots the meticulously selected catalogue is comprised of 19th and 20th centuries paintings from the Hudson River, Impressionist, and Regionalist schools as well as several works from noteworthy collections.
Amongst the most sought after lots will be the cover lot, an 1891 painting by Childe Hassam (American, 1859-1935). Titled Woman with a Parasol in a Park the original purchaser of the painting in 1911 apparently contacted the artist to discuss topics including his working method. In a letter dated October 7th Hassam replies; “As to my liking them if I do not like them I don’t let them go out. Anything that I have completed to my liking I sign and let go. If it does not suit me I keep it by me until it does or I destroy it. This is the difference between an artist and a manufacturer.”
A circa 1919 portrait of the dancer, Roshanara, by Robert Henri (American, 1865-1929) will be of great interest. ‘Roshanara’ was born Olive Craddock to an Irish military officer stationed in Calcutta in 1882. Her adopted stage name reflected her exotic dancing style which stemmed from her familiarity with Southeast Asian culture. She appeared onstage in London, toured with legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova, performed throughout India, and gave movement lessons to the young Bette Davis. Beautifully displaying Henri’s belief in the kinship between the art of painting and that of theater and dance, the striking painting is estimated at $400,000-600,000.
To be included in Stuart P. Feld’s and Kathleen M. Burnside’s forthcoming catalogue of the artist’s works, this fine example of Hassam’s first mature phase, carries an estimate of $400,000-600,000.
Also to be presented are two works by Andrew Wyeth. Created twenty years apart the paintings are very different yet clearly display all the hallmarks of Wyeth’s style. The first, titled Late Harvest, 1973, depicts two pumpkins in a starkly desolate field and is estimated at $250,000-350,000. The second, Blue Room, 1992, presents the viewer with a curious image of masks hanging from the horns of a moose skull in a dreamlike blue room. Estimated at $150,000-200,000, the painting represents an excellent opportunity for Wyeth collectors.
Another lot certain to attract bidders is an Edward Cucuel (American, 1879-1954) piece titled Picnic on the Starnberger See. Depicting a small party of ladies having lunch by the water and being served by a man appearing to be a boater with a small sailboat in the background, this bright and charming work is estimated at $100,000 – 150,000.
A group of paintings from a New Jersey collector will be sold to benefit the Muscarelle Museum of Art located at Virginia’s College of William and Mary. Comprised of 27 lots, the selection demonstrates the fine and varied taste of the collector. One of the most coveted lots from the collection is a Guy Carleton Wiggins (American, 1883-1962) work titled White Christmas. Depicting bundled up pedestrians and cars braving the wind and snow in front of the famed New York City Public Library the painting is expected to fetch $100,000-150,000. Also cause for excitement is the collection of Philadelphia’s Woodmere Museum. Having opened its doors in 1940, the museum’s permanent collection was the benefaction of Charles Knox Smith. Smith, who came from a modest Philadelphia neighborhood, built his fortune throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and amassed a formidable fine and decorative arts collection numbering more than 2,000 pieces. Proceeds from upcoming sale will benefit the Charles Knox Smith Art Acquisition Fund and allow Woodmere to further fulfill its mission of communicating the significance of the arts of Philadelphia.
Highlighting the Woodmere collection is a piece by Mauritz Frederik Hendrick De Haas (1832-1895) titled Star Island, Isle of Shoals. This exceptionally detailed rendering of waves breaking over a rocky shore with a boat battling the seas in the background is estimated at $25,000-35,000.
www.bonhams.com/americanpaintings
