FINE AMERICAN WORKS BY IMPORTANT FEMALE ARTISTS at Christie's NY On September 25, The American Paintings Department will hold its mid-season sale,
offering 230 lots ranging from $3,000 to $100,000
News-Antique.com - Sep 22,2008 - New York – On September 25, The American Paintings Department will hold its mid-season sale,
offering 230 lots ranging from $3,000 to $100,000, giving both new and established collectors the
opportunity to begin or build upon their collections.
The sale features an extensive collection of works from the 19th and 20th centuries, including a
particularly strong selection of works by esteemed female artists and from important artistic
movements. Highlights for this sale include works by Emma Fordyce MacRae, Martha Walter,
Priscilla Roberts, Alexander Helwig Wyant, William Harnett, Franz Hölzlhuber and Albert Bierstadt.
There is also a strong selection of works by 20th century modernists, including Milton Avery,
Charles Demuth, Reginald Marsh, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, George Ault, John Marin and Isabel Bishop, as
well as a selection of superb works by Jared French, from the Estate of Paul Cadmus.
Featured in this sale are three exceptional works by New
England artist and esteemed member of the “Philadelphia
10,” Emma Fordyce McRae. Renowned for her distinct and
singular manner of painting, MacRae created a visually
harmonious and striking style that was at once timeless and
modern. Christie's is delighted to offer three superb
paintings by MacRae, which exemplify the artist’s best work
in still life and landscape, including New England, Rock Port
Beach (estimate: $15,000-25,000).
Also featured is celebrated Philadelphia-born artist Martha Walter, who is represented by three
captivating works, including the renowned Pink Umbrella (estimate: $70,000-100,000), one of her best
works on the market to date.
Priscilla Roberts is known for her contribution to Magic Realism, combining elements of fantasy and
imagination in the style of Photographic Realism and Surrealism. Her innovative style can be seen in
dream-like May Morning (estimate: $12,000-18,000), whose exquisite detail and visual clarity has
placed it among Roberts’ most important works.
Also featured in this sale is an array of important
works from some of the most renowned
American artists of the 19th century. One such
example is a rare work by Albert Bierstadt, one of
the most revered and collected American artists
of his generation. Best known for his depictions
of the American West, Bierstadt’s fantastical
Butterflies with Riders (estimate: $20,000-30,000)
relates to the artist’s popular butterfly paintings.
Another highlight is River Valley with Cattle
(estimate: $30,000-50,000) by quintessential Hudson River School artist Alexander Helwig Wyant,
executed in 1868.
Franz Hölzlhuber is represented by five lots. The selection offers a unique view of bygone frontier
days blending visual journalism, a love of the exotic and an earnest desire to share with the rest of
the world the wonders of this untamed new land encountered by the artist during his American
Travels. Such works include the captivating depiction of Hölzlhuber’s take on Native American life
in Two Indians by a Shore; Chippewa Indians on Mackinac Island; Fort Snelling, Minnesota; and Ball Game of
Menominee Indians: Four Works (estimate:$6,000-8,000).
Another highlight is Head of Dante (estimate: $30,000-50,000),
by William Harnett, a bronze relief created by Harnett in
1873, a year prior to the artist’s first known works in
