2023 In Review: American Art

American Art Highlights 2023

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  Georgia O'Keeffe, Pink Tulip (1925)

  The Emily Fisher Landau Collection, offered at Sotheby’s this November, featured two exceptional Georgia O’Keeffe paintings in its Evening Auction. Pink Tulip (Abstraction – #77 Tulip) was a top highlight of the sale and performed quite well against estimate. A masterpiece from the artist’s early experimentation with abstraction, Pink Tulip was acquired by Fisher Landau during O’Keeffe’s lifetime, and was therefore an extremely exciting and fresh to market painting to handle.
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  Fairfield Porter, Girl in a Landscape (1965)

  In the May 2023, Fairfield Porter’s Girl in a Landscape reset the artist’s auction record when it fetched $2.8 million against at estimate of $500/700,000 in the Contemporary Day Auction. As the second-highest price achieved in the sale, this result underscores the benefits of integrating American artists into the Contemporary sales category, where they continue to receive increased attention from a broader buyer pool.
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  John James Audubon, White-Headed Eagle (c. 1828)

  In January 2023, American Art debuted a new sale series dedicated to 19th Century American and Western Art. Through the process of integrating modern and contemporary American artists into the Marquee Week sales in May and November, it became important to offer more traditional American art in its own context. From Hudson River School paintings to Taos School subjects, the inaugural Art of America auction highlighted the nation's leading artists in a live, dedicated sale. Totaling $4.5 million in sales, the 2023 Art of America auction was led by this Audubon oil of a bald eagle, which sold for $756,000.
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  Winslow Homer, On the Beach at Marshfield (c. 1872)

  Many of the Wolf Family pictures sold well beyond their estimates, including this excellent Winslow Homer oil entitled On the Beach at Marshfield which was estimated at $2-3 million. Joyce and Erving Wolf had a keen eye for exceptional quality pictures by American artists,and this rare, early Homer oil was no exception.
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  Fitz Henry Lane, Bar Island and Mount Desert Mountains from Somes Settlement (1850)

  One of Fitz Henry Lane’s earliest depictions of Maine achieved $6.1 million against an estimate of $1-1.5 million when offered in The Wolf Family Collection’s Evening Auction. This historic result reset the auction record for Lane for the first time in nearly two decades, and notably by more than a million dollars. Across all ten sales in the Wolf Family single owner sequence, Bar Island and Mount Desert Mountains from Somes Settlement fetched the highest price, leading the way in a strong week of prices for the American nineteenth century paintings market.
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  Marsden Hartley, Summer Sea Window (c. 1939-40)

  Beyond the exceptional examples of nineteenth century American paintings, modernist artists such as Marsden Hartley soared during the Wolf Family sales. A highlight of The Spirit of America Evening, Auction Summer Sea Window achieved $3.8 million, more than tripling its high estimate of $1 million. Strong results such as this contributed to the broader Wolf Family Collection performing at 140% of its presale high estimate.
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  Paul Howard Manship Indian Hunter and His Dog (1926)

  With its rich patina and original marble base, Indian Hunter and His Dog was one of several Manship bronzes highlighted from the Wolf Family Collection. Achieving $1.1 million against an estimate of $600/800k, results for Manship and other American sculptors in April signaled a strength in the bronze market.