Swann held its African American art sale earlier this month. The top lot was this Norman Lewis painting bringing in more than half a million dollars. That’s a substantial new record for the artist. Below is the top ten lots of the sale. (The annotations identify Collectors, Dealers and Institutions as buyers.)
- Norman Lewis, Untitled (1957) $581,000 C
- Elizabeth Catlett, Head (1947) $173,000 I
- Charles White, Hope Imprisoned (1946) $62,500 D
- Alvin D. Loving, Jr., Karin and Janie Talking, (1976) $56,250 C
- Charles White, Untitled (Head of a Man), (circa 1967-68) $55,000 D
- Frank Bowling, Karters Choice (1972) $50,000 C
- Howardena Pindell, Untitled #56 (2010) $43,750 C
- Sargent Claude Johnson, Dancer (circa 1938-40) $37,500 I
- Mavis Pusey, Nuvae (circa 1968) $33,750 C
- Romare Bearden, Christ Healing the Sick (1945) $32,500 C
Sale total: $1,735,690 ~ Hammer estimates: $1,504,000 – $2,263,000; Hammer total: $1,405,100; 149 lots offered; 111 sold (74% sell-through)
This chart of the last five years of African American art sales shows the bumpy progress the category is making under Swann’s leadership: