Thomas Moran, “Sunset at Sea,” 1907, oil on canvas, 24 3/8 x 30 3/8 inches

An upcoming American Art Sale is boasting many fresh-to-the-market paintings that are causing collectors to turn their heads. Which house, and what lovely works highlight the auction? Find out here.

On May 24 in New York City, Bonham’s will host an American Art Sale that offers several fresh-to-the-market paintings by some of the United States’ most beloved artists. Among the highlights of the sale are works by Marsden Hartley, Henry F. Farny, and Robert Henri.

Marsden Hartley, “Landscape No. 39,” 1930, oil on board, 23 7/8 x 19 5/8 inches
Henry F. Farny, “Cheyenne Scout,” 1895, watercolor and gouache on paper, 10 x 16 1/4 inches

Leading the sale is “Landscape No. 39” by Marsden Hartley, with an estimate between $400,000 and $600,000. It has spent 42 years in a private collection, and Bonham’s expects spirited bidding on the beautiful painting. The painting is one of approximately 26 that Hartley produced during the summer and fall of 1930. According to Bonham’s, the painting “captures the long-anticipated changing of the seasons in the region surrounding Franconia, New Hampshire.” There can be little doubt that the painting is a fantastic representation of Hartley’s skill as a colorist. Set against the shores of a stream, large boulders streak across the lower portion of the canvas. Just above the low horizon is a mass of trees just hitting their peak colors for the fall season. Dominated by yellows and oranges, flashes of red and vibrant green help balance the hues and provide hints of layering and depth. The artist has even added just a sliver of the sky above, helping release the viewer from an otherwise dense scene of nature’s majesty.

Robert Henri, “Portrait of Miss Mildred Sheridan,” 1913, oil on canvas, 32 x 26 inches
Eastman Johnson, “Crossing a Stream,” 1866, oil on board, 21 1/8 x 17 inches

Other highlights of the sale include Henry F. Farny’s “Cheyenne Scout,” which is appearing on the market for the first time. Estimates are also healthy for this painting, expected to realize between $150,000 and $250,000. “The painting depicts an indigenous American scout,” Bonham’s says, “standing alongside a glossy, chestnut horse, with two riders in the background. The landscape is precise and detailed, rendered in soft, cool, pastel hues.”

Works by Eastman Johnson and Thomas Moran also feature in the sale. To browse the other outstanding lots, visit Bonhams.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.


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Andrew Webster is the former Editor of Fine Art Today and worked as an editorial and creative marketing assistant for Streamline Publishing. Andrew graduated from The University of North Carolina at Asheville with a B.A. in Art History and Ceramics. He then moved on to the University of Oregon, where he completed an M.A. in Art History. Studying under scholar Kathleen Nicholson, he completed a thesis project that investigated the peculiar practice of embedded self-portraiture within Christian imagery during the 15th and early 16th centuries in Italy.

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