Gertrude Abercrombie painting sells for record $1.35 million after being bought at estate sale for $30
A painting by Gertrude Abercrombie purchased for $30 at a Michigan estate sale sold Thursday at a New York art auction for $1,060,000 ($1,352,600 including the buyer’s premium), making it the first-ever work by the individualist Chicago painter to cross the $1 million threshold.
Paintings by Abercrombie, who died at age 68 in 1977, could still be found at thrift stores until the early 2000s. But the market for her art has soared since, with buyers increasingly taken with her spare, introspective vision. The 8-by-11-inch work, titled “Alderman Merriam’s Shells” (1951), depicts an arrangement of sea shells — a recurring motif in her output.
Gertrude Abercrombie’s newly uncovered work “Alderman Merriam’s Shells” (1951) set a record at an auction.
Courtesy of Freeman’s
“Obviously, we are over the moon about the record-setting result, and it clearly shows that the spooky sky is the limit for her prices,” Zachary Wirsum, a senior vice president at Freeman’s auction house, said via email, alluding to the haunting feel of some of Abercrombie’s works. “What a return on a $30 investment!”
A Gertrude Abercrombie estate sale find heads to art auction News The “picker” arrived late in July at a Michigan estate sale in search of albums and midcentury furniture. But in a hallway leading to the garage, he stumbled on to something else: a small painting that depicted nine shells. Intrigued, he took a chance on it, paying $30. Green Room…
Michael Jordan's 'Last Dance' jersey sells for record $12.26 million News A Michael Jordan jersey from his final championship season with the Chicago Bulls sold Tuesday for $12.26 million, setting a record as the most expensive piece of game-worn Jordan memorabilia ever sold at auction. The white No. 23 Bulls jersey, worn by Jordan during Game 3 of the 1998 NBA…
Michael Jordan's 'Last Dance' jersey sells for record $12.26 million News A Michael Jordan jersey from his final championship season with the Chicago Bulls sold Tuesday for $12.26 million, setting a record as the most expensive piece of game-worn Jordan memorabilia ever sold at auction. The white No. 23 Bulls jersey, worn by Jordan during Game 3 of the 1998 NBA…
Strictly’s Katya Jones sets record straight after claim she called Lawrence Robb ‘fit’ Entertainment To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page Katya Jones has revealed what she actually said about Lawrence Robb in that viral Strictly Come Dancing moment. On Saturday night, the Emmerdale actor, 34, took…
Works by van Gogh and Cézanne up for sale in Sotheby’s $450 million auction News By JILL LAWLESS LONDON (AP) — A dozen Impressionist and post-Impressionist artworks collectively valued at almost half a billion dollars are going up for auction after sitting unseen for decades in a fabled private collection in South America. Sotheby’s auction house said Wednesday that works by Vincent van Gogh and…
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
