Although his work was not the highest valued sales at Swann’s African American Art auction on October 5th, Sam Gilliam was the big winner last week. His Rubiyat significantly out-performed estimates. A more recent work from 2001 also did quite well.

Also significantly out-performing was Norman Lewis’s work.

Sale total: $2,750,585 | Estimates for sale (without premium): $2,283,500-$3,371,000; 154 lots offered; 124 sold (81% sell-through rate by lot)

All prices include Buyer’s Premium.

1. 4       Henry Ossawa Tanner, Flight into Egypt, oil on canvas, circa 1910.                                                     $341,000 I
2. 48      Norman Lewis, Untitled (Processional Composition), oil on marbleized slate, 1960.                              $233,000 C
3. 88      Sam Gilliam, Rubiyat, acrylic and flocking on canvas, 1973.                                                               $191,000 C
4. 20**  Elizabeth Catlett, War Worker, tempera, 1943.                                                                                 $149,000 C
5. 31      Hughie Lee-Smith, Untitled (Youths on a Lakeshore), oil on board, 1952.                                            $93,750 C
6. 39*    Richmond Barthé, The Awakening of Africa, cast bronze, 1959.                                                          $87,500 D
7. 68      Charles White, I Have A Dream, Series #11 (Study for the Wall), oil on board, 1968.                             $81,250 C
8. 12      Barthé, Stevedore, cast bronze on marble base, modeled in 1937, cast in 1985.                                       $75,000 D
9. 150    Eldzier Cortor, Lady with Fan II, oil on canvas, 2005.                                                                                   $75,000 C
10. 147    Gilliam, Not Spinning, acrylic on plywood construction with aluminum frame, 2001-04.                         $57,500 C
11. 124    Lee-Smith, Interlude, oil on canvas, 1991.                                                                                       $55,000 C
12. 125    Lee-Smith, The Encounter, oil on canvas, 1991.                                                                               $52,500 C
13. 95*    Ernie Barnes, The Maestro, acrylic on canvas in artist-built frame, circa 1978.                                        $47,500 C
14. 42      Alma W. Thomas, In the Studio, oil on canvas, 1956.                                                                                   $45,000 C
15. 129    Carrie Mae Weems, Sea Island Series, quadriptych with two silver prints and two text panels, 1992.         $45,000 C
16. 101    Catlett, Glory, cast bronze on wood base, 1981.                                                                                $40,000 I
17. 1       Edward M. Bannister, Untitled (Rhode Island Coastal Scene), oil on canvas, circa 1885-89.                     $40,000 I
18. 109    Romare Bearden, The Evening Boat, collage and watercolor on board, 1984.                                          $40,000 C
19. 110    Bearden, At the Dock, watercolor, 1984.                                                                                          $37,500 C
20. 21    Jacob Lawrence, Eight Passages, eight color screenprints illustrating the Book of Genesis, 1990.              $30,000 C