CHICAGO — A surreal Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977) painting set a new world auction record for the artist at Hindman on February 17 when “The Dinosaur” sold for $387,500 against an estimate of $30/50,000. The 1964 oil on panel, which measured 7½ by 9½ inches, was the highlight of Hindman’s “Somewhere Out There” auction of Surrealist, Outsider, Psychedelic, Street Art, Magical Realist, Avante Garde, Pop, Visionary and Activist Works. Led by the Abercrombie piece, the auction achieved a total of $970,656, nearly tripling its estimate.

“Gertrude Abercrombie was one of the artists that we had in mind for inclusion when we dreamt up this genre-spanning sale of enchantingly strange image-based narrative works,” shared Zack Wirsum, Hindman’s senior specialist for post war and contemporary art. “This vision manifested to a powerful result, much like the ostrich egg that Gertrude’s sorceress subconscious made reality and she transmuted once again into this record-setting painting.”

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. A more extensive sale recap will follow in a future issue.