Best of Ameican Impressionism, Illustration and Modernism

In all, no less than 140 exceptional artworks from across a diverse range of artistic movements in the history of American Art from the 19th and 20th centuries are going to be there, including Impressionism, Illustration and Modernism. Here is a quick glance at some of these exquisite pieces on offer courtesy Christie's auction house:

Edward Hopper

His magnificent, large-scale painting ‘Blackwell’s Island (estimate: $15,000,000-20,000,000), has never been offered at auction earlier. It has been exhibited at renowned institutions like The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute. 

An impressive five feet wide, the work was painted in 1928 and depicts what is now known as Roosevelt Island. A native of Nyack, Edward Hopper was drawn to the New York’s East River and used the banks and bridges as his subject between 1911 and 1935. Also by him is ‘Kelly Jenness House’ (estimate: $2,000,000-3,000,000) that presents a view of a Cape Cod House as one would glimpse the scene from the window of a passing car. 

Georgia O’Keeffe

The artist’s ‘My Backyard’ (estimate: $1,000,000-1,500,000) is a wonderful example of the New Mexican landscapes with which O’Keeffe has become so closely associated. Painted in 1943 when O’Keeffe was frequently traveling to the Southwest, it emphasizes the monumental and spiritual qualities of the region. The strength of this work lies in its careful balance of realism and abstraction, its intricate layering of objective and subjective meaning, and its wonderful synthesis of form and color.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing

‘Leaf Fan’ (estimate: $800,000-1,200,000), a beautiful composition that pays homage to the works of Whistler and Vermeer, and ‘July Afternoon’ by Guy Rose, often considered the most prominent Californian Impressionist painter.

Norman Rockwell

A quintessential oil on canvas by Norman Rockwell is just one of the many illustrations that will be offered. ‘Starstruck’ (estimate: $800,000-1,200,000) was painted in a 1934 cover of The Saturday Evening Post and depicts a young boy fawning over Hollywood’s leading ladies of the day.