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Aviva's Picks
Aviva Lehmann | Senior Vice President, American Art
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Created at the height of Norman Rockwell's artistic
maturity, this four-panel suite embodies his profound ability to capture the
intimate yet monumental moments of democracy. Commissioned during wartime and
presented by Rockwell to FDR's Press Secretary Stephen T. Early—later held by
Early's direct descendants—it represents an extraordinary convergence of
history, artistry, and provenance. Among the rarest and most significant
Rockwell works to appear on the market in recent years, So You Want to
See the President! stands as a landmark of American visual
storytelling.
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I'm particularly drawn to this piece because it represents a
shining example of Norman Rockwell's longstanding and meaningful work for the
Boy Scouts of America. Created in 1951 during Rockwell's period of greatest
technical mastery and moral clarity, the painting unites his signature realism
with a powerful message of generational service, civic readiness, and national
purpose. What makes the offerings from the BSA Settlement Trust even more
special and deeply meaningful is that 100% of the proceeds will benefit
survivors of childhood sexual abuse, giving this historic sale an enduring
legacy of healing and hope.
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This is one of my absolute favorites in the auction—a
quintessential work by J.C. Leyendecker, an undisputed master of Golden Age
illustration and the artist Norman Rockwell himself revered. Thanksgiving
Crest is Leyendecker at his wittiest: the semi-plucked bird perched
above the praying children is cheeky, ironic, and unmistakably brilliant. With
its impeccable Michael Dolas provenance, this painting connects two generations
of America's great illustrators—making it not only historically rich, but
deeply personal and irresistibly charming.
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Liz's Picks
Liz Goodridge | VP, West Coast Director, American Art
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Heritage is honored to present a robust section of American
Impressionism this season and this work by Frank Weston Benson is a leader
among them. The subjects depicted are familiar—the painting centers the
artist's young children, Eleanor and George— who are affectionately rendered in
a number of the artist's most accomplished plein air paintings,
including an example at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art under the same title. The fragmented
construction of the landscape forms an intricate woodland canopy—woven with
streaks of lime and dark green, blue, brown and bright rose—creating a
spectacular show of Benson's very tactile brushwork which transports the viewer
to the forests of North Haven, Maine, where the present work was painted. The
work's impressive size (52 x 52 inches framed) make this offering a significant
opportunity for any collector seeking works of great impact.
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This work by Glackens is the artist at his best. In contrast
to the artist's bustling scenes of New York City's downtown parks and crowded
ocean beaches of New England, this painting of New Hampshire, distills the
artist's own leisurely escape during his summer respite on Walker Pond (now
Conway Lake). This composition radiates the joy and bountiful feeling of late
summer—the shoreline landscape and mountains in the distance are bursting with
summer's blooms and the lake temperatures must be a delight for the family
crowd seeking refuge from the heat. Glackens' color palette is electric and his
charged brushwork is truly a delight to see.
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This work is a radiant example of Friseke's nude
subejcts en plein air. In 1915 when he wrote to his representatives
at Macbeth Gallery, he explained that his aim with these compositions was "to
attain the purity of color and truth of light effect." This lot is proof of his
success in achieving such qualities in his paintings. The dappled sunspots
across the standing figure and the dense brushwork that constructs the water
and foliage behind her create a truly breathtaking display. Completely fresh to
market, Bather (Bather Undressing) has been held
in the same private family collection for decades, since at least the 1960s.
The public was fortunate enough to see this painting on display at the Fred
Jones Jr., Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma since 2021 where the
present owners generously had it on loan. Its inclusion in this auction now
allows for another fortunate collector or institution to enjoy its beauty for
decades to come.
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Emily's Picks
Emily Spahn | Associate Specialist and Lead Cataloger, American Art
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Pass the Red Fox Tavern by Charles Wysocki
beautifully captures his signature nostalgic vision of 19th-century New England
life. Trained as a commercial illustrator, Wysocki developed a style of
decorative precision that transforms ordinary village scenes into richly patterned
worlds filled with warmth and order. In this winter landscape, the viewer is
drawn into a cozy Americana setting—smokestacks rising into a pale sky,
horse-drawn sleighs gliding past the Red Fox Tavern, and tidy rows of buildings
nestled among bare trees. The balance of color, symmetry, and familiar rhythm
makes this work quintessentially Wysocki, a perfect example of his ability to
create scenes so detailed and inviting that I can easily get lost in it.
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Scouting for All Seasons by Joseph Csatari
captures the timeless spirit of the Boy Scouts, reflecting on their sense of
adventure, preparedness, and community. While uniforms and gear may change with
each decade and season, the essence of scouting remains constant—teaching
resilience, teamwork, and self-reliance. The familiar compass symbolizes both
guidance and tradition, reminding us that while fashion is fleeting, the values
of scouting never waver. I love this work because it stands as a testament to
the enduring adventures and growth each scout experiences throughout the
seasons.
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Max's Picks
Max Condon | Associate Specialist, Fine & Decorative Arts
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Of all his work with the Boy Scouts, Rockwell's teaching
moments are among the most dynamic. For him, the cycle of learning,
growth, and leadership was the heart of Scout's mission, and it's on full
display in this backyard lesson. The vibrant colors of the uniforms pop
against the mellow tones of grass and tree, and the simple framing of the white
picket fence grounds the scene. Plus, it's always nice to see a Rockwell
dog.
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A Scout is Friendly is a perfect example of
Rockwell's elevation of the everyday. A snapshot moment of asking for
directions becomes imbued with meaning as the young scout and his flag form a
barrier between family and headlines of war. Huddled around a roadmap,
Rockwell finds a quiet humanity in uncertainty, driven by the small gestures of
kindness that hold us together.
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Julia's Picks
Julia Matthiesen | Fine Art Department Coordinator, New York
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Few artists captured movement and humanity quite like Ernie
Barnes. In Easy Shot, the artist transforms a simple game of pool
into a moment of poetry. Set in a smoky Southern pool hall, the painting
transforms the casual game into a meditation on rhythm, grace, and human
connection. Barnes's elongated figures and fluid gestures capture both motion
and emotion with cinematic precision. The atmospheric light and rich tonal
palette evoke the warmth and dignity of the community he so often portrayed.
Commissioned by television producer Saul Turteltaub, whose name appears in the
composition, Easy Shot stands as a quintessential example of
Barnes's vision: art that celebrates the soul of ordinary experience through
movement, memory, and mastery of form.
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Leyendecker's beloved New Year's Baby was
among his most iconic and enduring creations, appearing annually on the cover
of The Saturday Evening Post for decades. The 1920 example
stands among the artist's most memorable. The cherub, wearing an oversized top
hat and hiding a bottle of contraband behind his back, marks America's uneasy
toast to Prohibition. The wooden camel, a clever nod to the "dry spell" ahead,
underscores Leyendecker's unmatched wit and cultural attunement. New
Years Baby, 1920 epitomizes the artist's mastery of modern
illustration and his remarkable ability to fuse humor, elegance, and history
into a single unforgettable image.
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View these and other important works of American Art in our American Art Signature® Auction. This auction's session time is 11:00 AM Central Time, Friday, November 14.
Sincerely,
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Aviva Lehmann
Senior Vice President,
American Art
AvivaL@HA.com
(212) 486-3530
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Liz Goodridge
VP, West Coast
Director, American Art
LizG@HA.com
(214) 409-3223
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Emily Spahn
Associate Specialist and Lead Cataloger,
American Art
ESpahn@HA.com
(214) 409-1371
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Max Condon
Associate Specialist,
Fine & Decorative Arts
MaxC@HA.com
(312) 260-7234
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Julia Matthiesen
Fine Art Department Coordinator,
New York
JuliamM@HA.com
(214) 409-3051
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