ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM LEADS A SUCCESSFUL SALE AT SHANNON’S

Shannon’s fall auction totals over $3.3 Million and over 82% sold

MILFORD, CT. – Shannon’s seamlessly transitioned to their “new normal” hosting an exciting auction with lively bidder participation despite the absence of live attendees. In the saleroom 20 phone bidders sat at socially distanced 6 foot tables and managed to generate the excitement, buzz and results of an in-person auction. Active online participation and aggressive absentee bidding helped drive the strong results. Overall, the sale achieved over $3.3 million dollars in total sales with 82% of the lots sold.

ADOLPH GOTTLIEB, SOLD FOR $162,500

Leading the auction was the highly-anticipated sale of Abstract Expressionist art from the Jeanne and Carroll Berry Collection. The results did not disappoint and listeners could feel the competition as auctioneer, Peter Coccoluto, fielded bids from the phones. Leading the group was Adolph Gottlieb’s, Untitled #30, from 1970 that sold for $162,500, exceeding its presale estimate. Two lots later, Jackson Pollock’s Untitled from 1952-1956 sold for $112,500. Overall, 11 of the 22 lots hammered down above their presale high estimates, a testament to the quality of the works offered.

Other notable sales from the Berry Collection include Mark Rothko’s, Untitled from 1968 that sold for $78,000. A pair of Hedda Sterne drawings that set a new record at $13,750. Sterne is the only female painter in the Irascibles and competition for her work was aggressive. Harry Weldon Kees, whose work has never before been offered at auction, sold for $8,750. And, the cover lot, a work on paper by Richard Pousette-Dart sold for $37,500.

JACKSON POLLOCK, SOLD FOR $112,500

An Abstract Expressionist painting by Michael (Corinne) West from a separate collection sold for $52,500. West, a female artist, chose a masculine name to remove the bias of gender in the interpretation and sales of work.

MICHAEL (CORINNE) WEST, SOLD FOR $52,500

There was success in all categories at Shannon’s and there were no dull moments during the nearly four-hour auction. Sandra Germain, managing partner, commented “We are thrilled with the results of the sale--the long anticipated offering of the Berry Collection finally came to fruition as well as many other works we have been holding since April. We had strong results across the board and have many happy consignors.”

A George Bellows painting from his time in Woodstock sold for $106,250 after enthusiastic bidding from 5 phone bidders. Charles Burchfield’s Steel Mill Homes sold for $75,000 to the Muskegon Museum of Art in Muskegon, Michigan. Charles Ethan Porter’s Peonies led the 19th century American Art category selling to a California institution for $55,000.

MONTAGUE DAWSON, The Needes, SOLD FOR $93,750

Notable sales in European art include Montague Dawson’s yachting scene, The Needles, that sold for $93,750 and a Hugues Merle, Young Woman in Blue, that sold for $50,000. Modern European art did well with a Kurt Schwitter’s collage from his Merz series selling for $50,000, a Jean Dufy of Les Champs-Elysees that sold for $57,500 and a Marie Laurencin, Jeune Femme, that tripled the low estimate selling for $45,000 with international bidder participation. A painting by contemporary British artist, Patrick Hughes, found a new home on the West Coast for $45,000.

American Impressionism was led by Charles Courtney Curran’s Wind on the Cliff, a sweeping view from a cliff with two young women, probably the artist’s daughter and a family friend, that sold for $100,000. Other highlights in this category include Woman in a Silk Robe by Frederick Carl Frieseke sold for $57,500 and Guy Carlton Wiggins “Winter at the Library” that also sold for $57,500.

CHARLES COURTNEY CURRAN, "Wind on the Cliff," SOLD FOR $100,000

A regionalist work by Thomas Hart Benton of the Louisiana rice fields, “Threshing Rice” sold for $87,500. Winter Stream by Southwestern artist Victor Higgins quadrupled the low estimate selling for $40,000 to a buyer in New Mexico. There were three paintings by New England artist Eric Sloane, led by Last Hay of the Season, a large 24 x 36 inch painting that sold for $47,500.

Prints were led by Picasso’s Le Repas Frugal, one of the artist’s first print compositions, that sold for $100,000. A Robert Rauschenberg silkscreen with iconic figures from the 1960s, Signs, sold for $27,500 and a group of prints commissioned for the Jimmy Carter inauguration fund sold for $30,000 to a museum collection.

VICTOR HIGGINS, "Winter Stream," SOLD FOR $40,000

For the full results of the September 17th auction, visit www.shannons.com. Shannon’s produces an extensive color catalog, if you would like to join Shannon's mailing list, you can sign up on the website or email the gallery at info@shannons.com.

Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. The next auction will be an Online Fine Art Auction on November 19, 2020. To consign a single piece of artwork, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (203) 877-1711; or, email at info@shannons.com. To learn more about Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers and the Thursday, September 17th auction, please visit www.shannons.com.

A DEPARTURE FROM TRADITION – IRASCIBLE ART FEATURED IN SHANNON’S FALL AUCTION

MILFORD, CONN. - Shannon’s recently announced their next major cataloged auction of Paintings, Drawings, Prints and Sculpture to be held at their Milford, Connecticut gallery on Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 6PM EDT.

Leading the 200+ lot auction are 22 lots of Abstract Expressionist works from the Collection of Jeanne and Carroll Berry. Among these lots are works by Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, Hans Hoffman, Willem DeKooning and Adolph Gottlieb.

In 1950, Gottlieb led an organized boycott against the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition “American Painting Today.” In a letter, drafted by Gottlieb, the undersigned artists rejected submission to the Metropolitan’s jurors on the grounds that the selection committee “does not warrant any hope that a just proportion of advanced art will be included.”

Eighteen painters and eleven sculptors signed the letter first published by the New York Times. The group caused a stir in the art world and beyond. The New York Herald Tribune responded in an editorial under the headline “The Irascible Eighteen”. Critic, Clement Greenberg wrote extensively about the group calling them “the Irascibles.” Life magazine contacted the artists to have their group portrait taken-- a portrait that has become the defining image of the Abstract Expressionists.

The Jeanne and Carroll Berry Collection, assembled with great care over the past 30 years, includes works by sixteen of the original “Irascible Eighteen.” The Berrys knew “advanced art” when they saw it and collected works by these leading Abstract Expressionists artists ahead of the trend.

In 2017 the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia featured the works in an exhibition titled “Advanced and Irascible: Abstract Expressionism from the Collection of Jeanne and Carroll Berry.” Shannon’s will offer 22 works from the collection of Abstract Expressionist artists. The catalog will feature a dedicated section documenting the Jeanne and Carroll Berry Collection.

For more information about the September 17th auction, or to order a catalog, contact us at info@shannons.com or 203-877-1711.

SUMMER ONLINE FINE ART AUCTION FEATURES AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM, 19th CENTURY ART AND MORE!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CATALOG

Shannon’s expanded schedule of Online Fine Art Auctions has been a treasure trove for new and seasoned collectors. With diverse lots ranging from 19th century American and European Art to Contemporary Fine Prints the offerings in Shannon’s online auctions attract a broad audience at every price-point. This sale, of 185 lots, is no exception.

Headlining the auction are several fresh-to-the-market, quality paintings by leading American Impressionists. Offerings include A View of Greenwich Harbor by John Henry Twachtman (est. $20,000-30,0000); Winter Stream by George Gardner Symons (est. $15,000-25,000); A View of the Bronx River by Ernest Lawson – a highly comparable work to another painting by Lawson in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (est. $15,000-25,000); and a Sunlit Doorway by Abbott Fuller Graves (est. $12,000-18,000). Paintings by Francis Coates Jones, Colin Campbell Cooper, Childe Hassam, John Fabian Carlson and Edward Henry Potthast will also be featured.

In the 19th century paintings category, a beautiful Jules Breton painting of a young woman Mending the Nets in front a river view is sure to attract an international audience (est. $30,000-50,000). Paintings by other notable American and European 19th century artists including Louis Charles Moller, Ferdinand Richardt, Thomas Chambers, Worthington Whittredge and Victor de Grailly will be offered.

An exceptional painting The Red Barn by Eric Sloane stands out among the handful of New England area paintings. A large 40 x 50-inch Emile Gruppe of Winter, Vermont exhibited at the North Shore Arts Exhibition in Gloucester in 1941 is another quality example in this category.

New York City paintings in the sale include a view of the Queensboro Bridge by Johann Berthelsen, two Tugboat watercolors by Reginald Marsh and a view in Central Park by Albert Pels.

Shannon’s online auctions have become a virtual shopping destination. Sandra Germain, managing partner, commented “Our online sales this year have seen 80% sell-through rates and increased participation from around the world. We are happy to report strong results and I am sure with the quality of artworks in this Summer online sale we will continue this positive trend. We are, of course, looking forward to welcoming clients back into our gallery and are now slowly reopening with previews by appointment and video chat --a popular, fun and effective option for many of our clients.”

The Summer Online Auction at Shannon’s is chock-full of quality paintings, sculpture, drawings, and fine prints. In addition to the works listed above Shannon’s will also offer a collection of paintings by Woodstock Colony artists, Contemporary Prints, Western art and more!

The auction will start promptly at 2:00PM ET on Thursday, June 25th. A link to the sale will be available on the Shannon’s homepage. Bidding will take place live online through Invaluable.com. Absentee bids may be arranged by request directly through shannons.com or by contacting the gallery.

Consignments for auctions at Shannon’s are accepted year-round. To consign a single piece of artwork, an estate, or a collection, please call (203) 877-1711; or, send an e-mail to info@shannons.com. To learn more about Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers and the Thursday, June 25th auction, please visit www.shannons.com or follow them on social media. Updates are posted frequently.