By Carter B. Horsley

The major American painting sales in May, 1998, had a good assortment from most periods but not too many masterworks. Both Christie's and Sotheby's once again held intermediate spring auctions of American paintings that were moderately successful although there were few stellar lots, but some high prices. The major sales, however, were tremendous successes for both houses with very high prices and few buy-ins.

Both auction houses offered separate catalogues at each sale for works consigned from one collection: 83 works from the Thomas Mellon Evans Collection at Christie's and and 44 works from the John F. Eulich Collection at Sotheby's. Both collections were fairly large with some fine works, but neither was consistently outstanding. All the paintings in the individual collection catalogues were reproduced in the main catalogues, but only the general catalogue of Sotheby's, to its credit, included most of the pertinent information such as provenance and exhibition history. Obviously and understandably, collectors like to have a publication that documents their collection, but not every auction-goer likes to buy two catalogues instead of one.

The most impressive painting being offered at Christie's is Lot 145, the glorious "The Spirit of the Hunt " by Charles Prendergast (1868-1948) and Maurice Prendergast (1859-1924), his brother. Estimated at $1,400,000 to $1,800,000, the very large, tempera, gold and silver leaf and pencil work on gessoed panel was the back cover illustration of the auction catalogue, was once in the collection of Lillie P. Bliss, a founder of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The catalogue notes that the painting was predominantly in Charles's style. The 55 by 80 1/2 inch work is one of the finest works by Charles Prendergast to come on the market and its almost Oriental style and primitivism is most appealing. Because of its size, it is not quite as jewely as the above illustration might indicate, and it is being sold with only a minimum frame and needs to reframed. It sold for $1,432,500.

The star of the Evans collection is Lot 20, "Flags, Afternoon on the Avenue," by Childe Hassam, "estimate on request, that is not one of the best examples of this artist's popular series, but is still very nice and will sell in the low seven figures. It sold for $7,922,500, a very impressive figure.

Some of the better Evans paintings inthe auction also include Lot 5, "View of Norwich, Connecticut," by Fitz Hugh Lane, a fine, but small, topographical scene that has a crystalline luminosity and is estimated at $250,000 to $300,000 that is a bit ambitious for its size (it sold for $607,500, a staggering amount); Lot 32, "The Morning Mail," perhaps the best Edward Lamson Henry offered in many years and properly estimated at $50,000 to $60,000 (it sold for $29,900); Lot 34, "Marches and Hay Mounds," by Martin J. Heade, a good example of one of his popular sunset series, properly estimated at $100,000 to $150,000 (it sold fo $74,000); Lot 40, "Calm Waters," a lovely lake scene by Alfred Thompson Bricher, that is a good buy at its estimate of $15,000 to $25,000 (it sold for $34,500); Lot 41, "Greenwood Lake in September," a large and good Jasper Francis Cropsey, that is ambitiously estimated at $300,000 to $400,000 but worth it (it sold for $398,500); Lot 44, "Grace Hoops," by very pleasant, small, Winslow Homer oil of two women that is estimated at $700,000 to $1,000,000 (it sold for $1,432,500). (The report in The New York Times May 6, 1998 that Microsoft chief William Gates had privately purchased a large Homer seascape for $30 million makes this, a much better though smaller picture, look like an incredible bargain. Gates paid a lot for his Homer given the fact that very good Homer seascapes have sold in recent years at auction for not much more than $1 million. Homer, of course, is the greatest American artist and has been very much undervalued. Gates, however, could have put together a world-class collection of American paintings for the price of his one new Homer acquisition, but he's on the right track, which is no surprise. There are two other rather dark Homer oil genre sketches in the Evans auction, but they are relatively minor works.) The Evans section of the auction also includes two good paintings by David Johnson, Lots 53 and 54, that should exceed their estimates of $30,000 to $60,000 and $10,000 to $15,000, respectively. (They sold for $34,500 and $18,400, respectively.) Johnson is, like John William Casilear, a consistently fine Hudson River painter of the first rank. Another Hassam in the Evans sale is Lot 62, "Autumn," that is quite colorful and pleasant and should go for more than its estimate of $50,000 to $70,000 (it sold for $156,500).

One of the finest Evans paintings is Worthington Whittredge's "Twilight on the Plains, Platte River, Colorado," Lot 63, shown above, that is estimated at only $70,000 to $90,000 (it sold for $134,500). There are many Western scenes by Whittredge but this one has the sublime qualities of the best Sanford Robinson Giffords and is an unusually wide format for this fine artist and if it were in perfect condition would most likely go for much higher than its estimates.

Western paintings, in fact, are much in evidence and Lots 64, "Return of the War Party," by Thomas Hill, is quite good and its treatment of the snow-capped mountain in the background is extremely painterly. It is estimated at $60,000 to $80,000 (it sold for $145,500).

There is a very good watercolor by Charles Marion Russell, Lot 72, "War Party in Winter," that is estimated at $100,000 to $150,000 (it sold for $244,500).

The highlights of the non-Evans section of the Christie's auction are the following: Lot 86, a very strong Sanford Robinson Gifford small oil sketch of Lake George that is estimated at $30,000 to $50,000 (it failed to sell); Lot 87, "Dawn of Morning, Lake George," by Jasper Francis Cropsey, that is estimated at $150,000 to $250,000 (it sold fo $189,500); Lot 95, an even better Cropsey, "Sunset, Hastings-on-Hudson," shown below, that is estimated at only $40,000 to $60,000 (it sold for $34,500). It is a particularly dramatic composition for this great American painter of autumn.

Lot 99 is another small Fitz Hugh Lane with a high estimate of $350,000 to $450,000 (it sold for $387,500). It is a very nice painting, but much more atmospheric than the Luminist paintings for which he is best known.

A particularly bright and charming, small Robert Henri, Lot 121, "On the Beach, Avalon, New Jersey," is estimated at $70,000 to $100,000 and may well go for more.

The Middle Border Museum is deaccessioning for some inexplicable reason a large and excellent seascape by Childe Hassam, lot 122, "East Headland, Appledore - Isles of Shoals," is estimated at only $400,000 to $600,000 (it sold for $1,322,000).

Other highlights included: Lot 1, "Schooner Race in New York Harbor," by James Edward Buttersworth, a small but nice painting without his wonderful pink clouds that was estimated at $30,000 to $50,000 and was knocked down for $134,500; Lot 3, a small, interior scene of a pensive Civil War soldier by George Cochran Lambdin that was estimated for $25,000 to $35,000 and sold for $189,500; Lot 4, "The Bird Catchers," a small oil by Winslow Homer that was estimated at $400,000 to $600,000 and sold for $1,432,500; Lot 17, a small sketchy oil of Washington Square by William James Glackens that was a bit static and estimated at $200,000 to $300,000 and sold for $552,500; a very small landscape by Martin Johnson Heade, Lot 21, that was estimated at $30,000 to $50,000 and sold for $129,000; Lot 31, a tiny, but very nice Jasper Francis Cropsey landscape that was estimated at $20,000 to 30,000 sold for $123,500; Lot 44, "Grace Hoops," a lovely medium-size genre painting of two young women by Winslow Homer that was estimated at $700,000 to $1,000,000 sold for $1,432,500; Lot 51, "The Milk Room," a watercolor by Andrew Wyeth, had been estimated at $120,000 to $180,000 and sold for $376,500; Lot 56, "Looking out to Sea," a very good beach scene by Edward Henry Potthast, had been estimated at $250,000 to $350,000 and sold for $464,500; Lot 37, a nice Parisian scene of a woman looking at a vendor's goods, had been estimated at $1,200,000 to $1,800,000 and sold for $3,027,500; Lot 66, "Assinboin Camp," a very fine but quite small oval painting by John Mix Stanley had been estimated at $15,000 to $25,000 and sold for $266,500;a superb Joseph Henry Sharp painting of an Indian village,Lot 74, had been estimated at $40,000 to $60,000 and sold for $156,500; a great painting by George De Forest Brush of Indian hunters in a canoe, Lot 78, had been estimated at $250,000 to $350,000 and sold for $486,500; a lovely, small, unsigned, cloud study by Thomas Cole, Lot 84, had been estimated at $25,000 to $35,000 and sold for $101,500; a good Bahamian watercolor by Winslow Homer, Lot 96, had been estimated at $450,000 to $650,000 and sold for $772,500; a good, humorous William Holbrook Beard, "Making Game of the Hunter," Lot 98, had been estimated at $30,000 to $50,000 and sold for $145,500; a good Winslow Homer watercolor, "The Breakwater" with several figures in it, Lot 102, sold within its estimates for $442,500; Lot 116, a nice garden scene by Frederick Carl Frieseke had been estimated at $300,000 to $500,000 and sold for $893,500; a faint pastel of a dancing girl by Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Lot 126, had been estimated at $15,000 to $25,000 and sold for $46,000; a very fine portrait of a man by Robert Henri, Lot 144, had been estimated at $50,000 to $75,000 and sold for $145,500; two large works with six-figure estimates by Reginald Marsh, Lots 192 and 198, were among the few not to sell; a major Joseph Stella, "The Heron," Lot 195, had been estimated at $300,000 to $500,000 and it failed to sell, perhaps because its condition was not pristine.

The cover illustration, Lot 199, a very dramatic and sensual "Black Iris" flower painting by Georgia O'Keefe, was one of the few disapointments in the same as it sold for $1,102,500, but had been estimated at $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It is a fine example of her work.

The Sotheby's sale has several celebrity consignors such as singer Linda Ronstadt who is parting with a very impressive and important Georgia O'Keefe, Lot 150, "Calla Lily with Red Roses," which is estimated at $2,500,000 to $3,500,000, and a very fine Robert Henri, Lot 39, "The Irish Boy in Blue Denim - Anthony Lavelle," which is estimated at $150,000 to $200,000. Her O'Keefe sold for $2,642,500 (including the buyer's premium), but her Henri failed to sell. Other "star" consignors include Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards and the estate of Joseph E. Levine.

The sale was very successful and prices were quite high. Western art did particularly well. Lots 45 through 88 are from the collection of John F. Eulich. Among the highlights are lot 46, "Indian Encampment," by Albert Bierstadt, a medium size example of the artist at his best, shown above, that hopefully will exceed its estimate of $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 as Bierstadt at his best is sensational (it sold for $1,432,50); Lot 47, "Big Springs in Yellowstone Park," a very vibrant and fine watercolor by Thomas Moran, shown below, that is properly estimated at $250,000 to $350,000 (it sold for the impressive price of $662,500); Lot 48, "Indian Encampment on the Platte River," a large and important Worthington Whittredge estimated at $400,000 to $600,000 (it sold for $937,500); Lot 49, "Blackfeet Card Players," a very fine and large John Mix Stanley that carries a rather high estimate of $900,000 to $1,200,000 (it sold for $1,652,500); Lot 50, "Sioux War Council," by George Catlin, a very important painting historically, that is conservatively estimated at $500,000 to $700,000 (it sold for $937,500); Lot 51, "Sioux Camp," a pleasant but not great Alfred Jacob Miller, the greatest of the early generation of Western artists before Bierstadt, that is estimated properly at $300,000 to $400,000 (it sold for $332,500); and Lot 62, "Indian Mode of Traveling," by Seth Eastman, a superb, large and rare work, that is estimated at $500,000 to $700,000 and belongs in a major museum (it sold for $937,500).

Other Eulich paintings that did well included: Lot 46, a very nice small Bierstadt scene of Estes Park in Colorado that had been estimated for $150,000 to $250,000 and sold for $470,000; Lot 52, a large Frederick Remington painting of "The Trooper" that had been estimated at $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 and went for $2,532,500; a better but smaller Remington, Lot 53, "The Apaches!" that had been estimated at $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 and sold for $2,422,500; a better still Charles Schreyvogel, Lot 54, "The Silenced War Whoop," that had been estimated at $800,000 to $1,200,000 and sold for $1,267,500; a good Charles Marion Russell, Lot 56, "Attack on a Wagon Train," that had been estimated at $900,000 to $1,200,000 and sold for $937,500; Lot 59, "Kit Carson," painted in 1854 by William T. Ranney that had estimated at $800,000 to $1,200,000 and sold for $1,212,500; Lot 68, a large "Indians" by Henry F. Farney that had been estimated at $500,000 to $700,000 and sold for $827,500; Lot 71, "Autumn," a scene of two resting Indians by Walter Ufer had been estimated at $300,000 to $400,000 and sold for $717,500; Lot 73, "Indian Farmer" by Oscar E. Berninghaus, painted in 1926, that had been estimated at $300,000 to $500,000 and sold for $690,000; Lot 74, "Four Riders," by E. Martin Hennings, who died in 1956, that had been estimated at $250,000 to $350,000 and sold for $1,102,500; Lot 75, "The Lesson," a fine painting by E. Irving Couse that had been estimated at $250,000 to $350,000 and sold for $618,500, and Lot 88, "The Savage Gave The Yell And Came Bounding Across The Open Ground Flourishing A Tomahawk," by N.C. Wyeth that had been estimated at $80,000 to $120,000 and sold for $233,500.

The Eulich collection had some first class early Western paintings, such as the Bierstadts, the Eastman, the Catlin, the Moran, the Whittredge, the Stanley and the Ranney, all worthy of any museum collection. This writer, however, is not convinced that the later illustrators are in the same league by any stretch of the imagination despite their inflated prices and devoted following. Russell at least knew some cowboys and is the best of the bunch. Ufer, of course, is a good painter and the Hennings painting was smashing and Lot 75 by Couse was very good. The Eulich paintings, assembled mostly over a period of less than two decades and mostly from major dealers, comprised a good selection of large works by popular artists and the auction clearly indicated that this segment of the market is very hot again.

Of the non-Eulich paintings, the best are Lot 6, "A King's Daughter (Girl with Lilies)," a stunning, rich and dark Theodore Robinson, that is worth much more than its estimate of $150,000 to $250,000 and comes with a very impressive provenance (it sold for $255,500); Lot 7, "Bryant Park," a nice, ethereal and lyrical urban scene by Paul Cornoyer, that is estimated at $30,000 to $50,000 (it sold for $28,750); Lot 19, "Late Autumn," a good pastoral scene by the always interesting Robert Vonnoh that has an of $40,000 to $60,000 (it failed to sell); Lot 20, "A Kiss for Baby Anne (No. 3)," a good pastel of a mother and child by Mary Cassatt that is pleasant and estimated at $800,000 to $1,200,000, a bit high (it sold for $1,762,500); Lot 105, "Hot Stock Tips," a remarkable trompe l'oeil painting by Otis Kaye that will exceed its estimate of $200,000 to $300,000 (it sold for $266,500); and Lot 145, "Mountains, No. 19," a very fine but not early Marsden Hartley, shown below, that is estimated at $800,000 to $1,000,000 and may go higher (it failed to sell and "passed" at a bid of $725,000). (See The City Review article on Hartley show at the Babcock Gallery on Fifth Avenue in New York in 1998.)

Other highlights from the sale included: Lot 1, "A Study with Sunlight," a small wonderful pastel by Carroll Beckwith, an always interesting artist, that had been estimated at $15,000 to $25,000 and sold for $54,625; Lot 4, "Moonrise at Sunset, Gloucester, Massachusetts," a very beautiful and superb John Joseph Enneking, an always inconsistent artist, that had been estimated at $25,000 to $35,000 and sold for $37,375; Lot 10, which was also the cover illustration, "White Lilies," an excellent work by Frederick C. Frieseke, an artist whose heavily Impressionistic, dappled style was often too pretty but has been pushed had by dealers in recent years, had been estimated at $750,000 to $1,000,000 and sold for $1,652,000 although another very fine though smaller example of his, Lot 17, "By The Cradle," had been estimated at $150,000 to $200,000 and did not sell, the same fate that befell another Frieseke of a round-faced woman, Lot 21, while one of the most delightful Frieseke's, Lot 22, the small "Woman At A Dressing Table" that had been estimated at $40,000 to $60,000 sold for $46,000; a good but not too colorful pastel of a mother and a child by Mary Cassatt, Lot 20, had been estimated at $800,000 to $1,200,000 and sold for $1,762,500, even though a far more powerful and interesting work by her failed to sell at a much lower level last fall (see illustration in The City Review article on that auction); Lot 28, an interesting, small oil painting by John La Farge, "In Front of Our House, Vaiala - Girl on Grass," sold for $530,500 and had been estimated at $100,000 to $150,000; a good, dashing, though fairly monochromatic Venetian scene watercolor by John Singer Sargent, Lot 29, sold for $233,500 and had been estimated at $100,000 to $175,000; a good John White Alexander was put up at auction by the MacDowell Colony and sold within its estimate for $244,500, a good price since some of his better works with high estimates have not sold well at auction in recent years despite his great poetry and lyrical talent; Lot 97, a pleasant Winslow Homer watercolor of two sailboats, had been estimated at $100,000 to $150,000 and sold for $233,500, a fair price; a spectacular trompe l'oeil by Otis Kay, "Hot Stock Tips," Lot 105, sold within its estimates fo $266,500, although a very fine and interesting smaller work, Lot 126, by the same artist sold within its modest estimate for $11,500; a fine small Jasper Francis Cropsey, Lot 106, had been estimated at $25,000 to $35,000 and sold for $63,000, perhaps reflecting the beginnings of a recovery in the marketplace for Hudson River School paintings; a still life with skull by William M. Harnett, Lot 110, had been estimated at $500,000 to $700,000 but only sold for $332,500, reflecting, perhaps, its lack of charm; a very charming beach scene by Sanford Robinson Gifford, Lot 112, sold just below its low estimate for $74,000, a surprise given the flow of money at this auction.

One of the major surprises was the failure of a large and bold Arthur G. Dove painting, Lot 156, "Seagull," to sell. It had been estimated at $700,000 to $900,000, but bidding stopped at $575,000 despite the fact the artist was the subject of a major recent exhibition (see The City Review article).

The Sotheby's and Christie's sales left little doubt that the American Painting market is very hot. Indeed, one would almost get the impression from some of the high prices that it is now on equal footing with the (French) Impressionists in terms of valuations. While many of the paintings sold were excellent examples, there were few masterpieces apart from the Catlin, Eastman, and Stanleys. Clearly, Western Painting has recovered mightily even though the emphasis on the 20th Century illustrators is an indication that aesthetics have less to do with these stratospheric prices than regional chauvinism and a lack of appreciation for the great Western painters like Miller, Catlin, Bodmer, Bierstadt and Moran.

Prices were good across the board although the Hudson River School and the Ash-Can School are still very much undervalued.