Freeman’s sales of American Art feature some of the most recognizable names in the field, including three generations of the Wyeth family (N.C. Wyeth, son Andrew, and grandson Jamie); icons of American art and illustration like Norman Rockwell; graduates of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, such as Cecilia Beaux and Thomas Eakins; and notable Philadelphia figures like William Glackens, Arthur B. Carles, Jessie Willcox Smith, and the Peale family (Charles Wilson, Rembrandt, and Raphaelle).
As the only house outside of New York with auctions devoted solely to American Art, Freeman’s consistently sells high-quality works in various media and subject matter. Our team of specialists brings years of expertise in the field to our twice-annual auctions, resulting in standout sales with impressive results.
Between December 2020 and June 2021, our American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists results set new house records, with over $10M realized in fewer than 200 lots. Our June 2021 American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists auction alone achieved nearly $3.5M in 89 lots—including rare works by Albert York, shattering a previously held world auction record for his paintings—confirming Freeman’s strength in presenting important American art at auction.
In recent years, Freeman’s has won the consignment of several major American art collections, including The George D. Horst Collection of Fine Art ($4.4M), The Collection of Dorrance “Dodo” H. Hamilton ($6.1M), and the Ottenberg Collection—all white-glove sales that yielded impressive prices for works by renowned American artists, from Frank Weston Benson and Jonas Lie to Childe Hassam, Martin Johnson Heade, and Martha Walter.
April 29, 2018
Freeman’s proudly brought to auction the collection of Dorrance "Dodo'" H. Hamilton, renowned Philadelphia philanthropist and horticulturist. The sale of more than 150 lots was led by a rare painting by Paul Cézanne and featured works by William Trost Richards, Martin Johnson Heade, Childe Hassam and Maurice Prendergast, all of which reflected her preference for surrounding herself with what she loved, without concern for trends.
March 30, 2014
The fine art collection amassed by Pennsylvania businessman George D. Horst hung in a custom built gallery on his estate, unseen by the public for nearly a century. Mr. Horst’s collection reflected his special love for Pennsylvania Impressionists, such as Daniel Garber, Edward Willis Redfield, William Lathrop, as well as for American artists known as 'The Ten,' including Childe Hassam and Frank Weston Benson. Other sale highlights included a magnificent still life by Emil Carlsen, an impressive Jonas Lie, as well as an idyllic George Loftus Noyes landscape, which all set new world auction records for their respective artists. Overall, the white glove auction garnered much attention and elicited consistently strong bidding, setting new world auction records for 20 artists.
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