Setting a new auction record for March Avery (New York, b 1932), and earning the highest price of the sale, was “Dark Inlet,” an oil on canvas completed in 1980 and titled, signed and dated in ink on the stretcher. Measuring 34 by 50 inches, the painting flew past its $10/15,000 estimate to earn $47,500.
Review by Kiersten Busch
NEW YORK CITY — Paintings were all the rage at Swann Auction Galleries’ American Art sale, which was conducted on September 19. The 137-lot sale, totaling $643,048, offered US-based and internationally-composed landscapes, portraiture and still lifes, among others.
“The sale saw collectors, dealers and institutions purchasing,” said Kelsie Jankowski, communications manager at Swann. Jankowski also noted that 14 new buyers purchased lots during the sale.
Leading the day was “Dark Inlet,” an oil on canvas completed in 1980 by New York native, March Avery. The work was signed and dated both on the upper lefthand corner and in ink on the stretcher verso. The painting had provenance to Summit Gallery in New York City — a label for the gallery was affixed on the reverse — as well as a private collection in Woodstock, N.Y. Earning $47,500, a new auction record for an Avery painting, it far surpassed its $10/15,000 estimate.
Landscapes, particularly those containing trees, were popular among bidders. Aptly titled, “Trees” by Arthur Dove, a watercolor on cream wove paper, dug its roots in at $17,500, comfortably within estimate. Most likely painted when Dove relocated to Geneva, N.Y., circa 1934, the Modernist work had extensive provenance in New Jersey and New York to both galleries and private collections, the auction catalog reported. The work was also exhibited in 2011, at the DC Moore Gallery, New York City, as part of its exhibition titled “Modern America, 1917-1944.”
With provenance to multiple New Jersey and New York collections, “Trees” by Arthur Dove (New York, 1880-1946), circa 1934, watercolor on cream wove paper, 5 by 7 inches, grew to $17,500 ($15/20,000).
Also earning $17,500 was Thomas Hart Benton’s circa 1920 painting “Landscape with Trees,” which surpassed its $8/12,000 estimate. In 1909, Benton became acquainted with Stanton Macdonald-Wright, an American Synchromist, who, according to the auction catalog, “influenced Benton to experiment with Impressionist and Pointillist techniques and to use a broader range of color.” Using the spiral form technique of the Synchromists, Benton’s oil on canvas depicted trees in black and white, mounted on an 8½-by-11-inch board.
Continuing with the tree theme, “The Pink Tree” by Swedish native Carl Sprinchorn grew to $11,875, nearing the high end of its $8/12,000 estimate. The oil on canvas was painted in 1941, during a 20-year period when Sprinchorn summered in north-central Maine. The auction catalog added that his artwork of the area “depicts the working lumberjacks and woodsmen, their camps and forests.” The painting had provenance to Pensler Galleries in Washington, DC, a private collection in New York, Tom Veilleux Gallery in Portland, Maine, and a Connecticut collector. It was also exhibited at the American Swedish Historical Museum (Philadelphia), Macbeth Gallery (New York City) and the Bates College Museum of Art (Lewiston, Maine).
Cityscapes also proved to be popular, with three prominent examples in the top 16 bestselling lots. “Fifth Avenue, New York, In Snow,” by second generation American Impressionist Guy C. Wiggins, depicted New York City in the snow. The circa 1940 oil on canvas was previously auctioned by Swann Galleries in 2020, where it sold to a private collector in New York. Now, in its second auction with the firm, the painting earned $27,500.
“Fifth Avenue, New York, In Snow” by Guy C. Wiggins (New York City, 1883-1962), circa 1940, oil on canvas, 24 by 17 inches, crossed the block for $27,500, surpassing its estimate ($15/20,000).
The year “Arrangement” by Glenn O. Coleman was painted, 1927, was a turning point for the artist, as the auction catalog explains: “he started to move away from depicting people to focus on formal compositional elements… Coleman was concerned with showing the rapid growth of New York, and stressed the intersection of form, shapes and lines.” The oil on canvas was acquired by the estate of Sydney Kellner, where it remained in California with his family until it was consigned by Swann Galleries for this auction; it finished at $13,750.
Portraits and figural paintings were led by “Home of Madame H.” by Michigan native Letta Crapo-Smith, which finished with the second-highest price of the sale, and a new auction record for the artist’s work. Signed lower left, the painting had provenance to a private collection in New York and was exhibited in the 104th Annual Exhibition at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia in 1909. Its provenance and exhibition history attributed to its $42,500 finish, which surpassed its $12/18,000 estimate.
The third-highest selling work in the show went to a charcoal on Michallet laid paper portrait by John Singer Sargent, titled “Portrait of Gladys de Portal Kingsmill (Mrs Redmond McGrath, née Gladys Francis Johnson).” The portrait had extensive provenance, including a descent in the sitter’s family until 1983, when it was sold by Sotheby’s, London, in a November sale. The painting was eventually consigned from the estate of Everett Raymond Kinstler, who purchased the work in July of 1986. Exhibition and publication history added to the drawing’s allure, bringing it to $37,500.
“Portrait of Gladys de Portal Kingsmill (Mrs Redmond McGrath, née Gladys Francis Johnson)” by John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925), 1919, charcoal on Michallet laid paper, 23-5/8 by 18¼ inches, sold for $37,500 ($30/50,000).
Artist and illustrator Rockwell Kent was represented by two lots in the sale: “Sailor’s Farewell” and a bound autographed book of sketches he completed while aboard the Hans Edge from 1933-36. The former, which surpassed its $15/20,000 estimate to achieve $32,500, was a watercolor and pencil painting done in 1935 on cream wove paper which had provenance to the artist, the dedicatee, Charly Mortensen, and a private collection from Boston. The latter, which also included two ink drawings by Kent, closed its cover for $15,000, far above its $5/8,000 estimate. There were also seven photographs of the ship included in the lot.
No diverse art sale would be complete without a few paintings of furry friends. Two works by Will Barnet featured cats: a study for “Cat and Canary,” a gouache and charcoal on vellum painting which went for $11,875, and a study for “The Chess Game,” a watercolor and pencil on vellum which earned $11,250. While this rendition of “Cat and Canary” was a study for Barnet’s 1971 lithograph — printed by Mourlot, New York, and published by Associated American Artists — the study for “The Chess Game” was used for his oil on canvas of the same name, displayed at the Wichita Art Museum.
After the sale, Meagan Gandolfo, specialist for American and contemporary art at Swann Galleries, shared, “Aside from setting auction records for three artists, we continue to be among the leaders in sales results for Rockwell Kent and Will Barnet works on paper. I was curious how our buyers would respond to some atypical or early works from Robert Henri, Marsden Hartley and Thomas Hart Benton in the sale, and they all sold very well, proving that there is a robust market for these types of experimental works. This particular American art sale was special to me, being the first sale I’ve led independently. I hope to build on this success next year and continue to offer valuable, curated selections of artwork.”
The next sale of fine art at Swann will feature Old Master Through Modern Prints and will take place on October 17.
Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For more information, 212-254-4710 or www.swanngalleries.com.
