With record prices in Western paintings, American Impressionism and Modernism, there’s new life–and a lot of money–in American paintings.
Christie’s had a blow out sale of American paintings yesterday with $72.5 million being paid for 111 lots out of 140. That’s 79% sold by lot and a record total for the sale. This Thomas Moran painting, “Green River Wyoming,” had a high estimate of $5,000,000. Ha! That would have been a bargain. It sold for $17 million, a record for a 19th Century American painting.
Here’s the rest of the top ten:
- Thomas Moran, Green River of Wyoming, 1878 (3,500,000-5,000,000)$17,737,000
- Albert Bierstadt, Indians Spear Fishing, 1862 (2,500,000- 3,500,000) $7,321,000
- Marsden Hartley, Lighthouse , 1915 (5,000,000-7,000,000) $6,313,000
- Childe Hassam, Spring in Central Park, 1908 (2,500,000- 3,500,000) $5,641,000
- Thomas Moran, A Passing Shower in the Yellowstone Cañon, 1903 (1,500,000- 2,500,000) $2,505,000
- George Inness, Sunset on the River, 1867 (600,000-800,000) $1,945,000
- Walter Ufer, The Gateway, 1918 (500,000-700,000) $1,497,000
- Joseph Henry Sharp, The Medicine Teepee, 1903 (500,000-700,000) $1,497,000
- Walter Ufer, Making Ready, 1917 (600,000-800,000) $1,385,000
- Edward Henry Potthast, At the Beach (300,000-500,000) $1,161,000
