AMERICAN ART FEATURED IN SHANNON’S SPRING 2024 AUCTION
MILFORD, CONN. – Shannon’s, an established market leader in the sale of historic American Art, will be offering an exceptional selection of fine paintings in their Spring auction on May 2nd. The sale is composed of fresh-to-the-market works from important private collectors.
WILLIAM MERRITT CHASE, American 1849-1916, Portrait of Caroline Allport, 1897, oil on canvas, 24 1/4 x 20 in.
American paintings by some of the most famous names lead the auction. A charming portrait of the young Caroline Allport by William Merritt Chase is offered at $80,000-120,000. Accompanying the lot is a letter signed by the artist and dated 1898 to the sitter’s father Dr. Allport referencing the portrait. Another notable American Impressionist figurative painting by Frederick Frieseke titled Dressing will be offered at $50,000-70,000. This important work has been in a private collection for nearly two decades.
There are several 19th century American landscapes in the sale led by a charming David Johnson titled Study from Nature, Warwick, New York, 1873 offered at $40,000-60,000. Two large, impressive landscapes, a 39 x 66-inch James McDougal Hart of Morning in the Adirondacks and a 30 x 72-inch James Fairman, View of the Upper Hudson River at Storm King, will be offered at $30,000-50,000 each.
MAURICE BRAZIL PRENDERGAST, Newfoundlander/American 1858-1924, "Low Tide", 1901, watercolor on paper, 20 1/2 x 13 in.
From the early 20th century a Maurice Prendergast watercolor titled Low Tide from 1901 will be offered at $80,000-120,000. The watercolor descended from the artist’s brother and ended up in the collection of New York socialite Brooke Astor. The work remains in excellent condition with vivid colors depicting the beach scene. Two works by Modernist Milton Avery, will be featured in the auction. Elevator offered at $40,000-60,000 depicts an industrial scene in New York City and Portrait of March is estimated to bring $20,000-25,000.
Other 20th century modernist highlights include landscapes by John French Sloan, a New York City view by Leon Kroll and two pastel landscapes by Ashcan artist Robert Henri offered at $12,000-18,000 each. A stellar Werner Drewes from 1939 and exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago will be offered from a private collection and is expected to bring $30,000-50,000.
Paintings by women artists will be prominently featured in the auction. A selection of works by Magical Realist, Priscilla Roberts, will surely attract interest from museums and private collections alike. Haunted House, depicts a Victorian dollhouse with cobwebs in an eerie, dreamlike composition estimated at $8,000-12,000 and Hoops and Stays depicting an abandoned mannequin torso estimated for $7,000-10,000. Smaller works by the artist will complement these larger paintings including Cup and Saucer and Decoy. A portrait of a young woman in a red bonnet by Lila Cabot Perry will be offered at $20,000-30,000 along with portraits by Martha Walter and Jennie Brownscombe. A bronze of a young girl by Abastenia St. Leger Eberle will be offered at $20,000-30,000. Female modernists, and Hans Hofmann alums, Lynne Drexler, Alice Baber and Marion Ranyak will lead the Contemporary Art offerings.
Other highlights in the auction include a lush garden scene by Abbott Fuller Graves of Hunnewell Gardens estimated for $30,000-50,000 and a starlit evening scene by Paul Cornoyer, Nightfall, estimated for $30,000-50,000. Both works have been in private collections for decades.
Shannon’s has positioned itself as the leading auction house for American Art and the Spring selection proves their strength in this category. The auction and preview are not to be missed with additional American works by Chauncey Foster Ryder, Frederick Judd Waugh, Aldro T. Hibbard, Emile Gruppe, Leon Kroll, Guy C. Wiggins, Arthur C. Goodwin, Edward Potthast, Arthur Wesley Dow, Robert Spencer, Eric Sloane, Lennart Anderson and Robert Vickrey, among others.
A public preview of the auction will open at Shannon’s gallery weekdays from April 22 - May 1, 2024 and on Saturday, April 27th. Bidding is available live on shannons.com, by telephone or by absentee. Visit shannons.com or follow them on social media for more information about the May 2, 2024 Fine Art Auction.
Consignments for the May 2nd auction are invited through March 15th. To request an estimate of a single artwork or a collection contact [email protected] or 203-877-1711.