Sotheby’s just blew the top off the Norman Rockwell market:

In this morning’s ongoing auction of American Art at Sotheby’s New York, an extraordinary selection of seven paintings by Norman Rockwell from the family of Kenneth J. Stuart Sr. – the artist’s longtime friend and art editor at The Saturday Evening Post – all sold for a stunning total of $59,663,000*.

The group was led by Rockwell’s singular masterpiece Saying Grace, which set a new auction record for an American Painting** and nearly tripled the previous auction record for the artist*** when it achieved $46,085,000 – soaring past its $20 million high estimate. The painting, which was voted by Post readers as their favorite cover, was sought after by two phone bidders who competed for more than 9 minutes.

Other highlights of the Stuart Family Collection included The Gossips, which fetched $8,453,000 (est. $6/9 million) and Walking to Church, which brought $3,245,000 (est. $3/5 million).