In recent years, Freeman’s Modern & Contemporary Art department has enjoyed notable successes with modernist icons Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall, mid-century Abstract Expressionists Helen Frankenthaler, Richard Poussette-Dart and Hans Hoffman, as well as Pop Artists Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Tom Wesselmann, among many others. Our carefully curated and highly researched sales have presented special works, often hidden for years in private collections, that have fetched strong prices including rare works on paper by Clyfford Still and Zao Wou-Ki, and sculptures by Barbara Hepworth, Lynn Chadwick and Henry Moore.
Freeman’s also excels at presenting single-owner collections such as Pop Prints from the Collection of Robert J. Morrison offered in 2019 which was 100% sold and achieved $1.2 million, doubling its pre-sale low estimate total, or a collection of CoBrA and other modernist drawings and paintings from The Collection of Dr. Henry and Mrs. Fanny Levine, a sale that achieved $948,000 in October of 2020, just shy of its pre-sale high estimate. The department hold two auctions annually, in May and November.
October 30, 2019
Freeman’s was honored to present works from the estate of distinguished Philadelphia collector and philanthropist Robert J. Morrison in a single-owner sale that celebrated his passionate connoisseurship. Comprised primarily of works by Pop art luminaries Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, the Collection also included prints and multiples by Wayne Thiebaud, Ed Ruscha, Claes Oldenburg, Tom Wesselmann, Jim Dine and others. The sale was accompanied by a catalogue of thoroughly researched essays and personal tributes, as well as an expertly hung exhibition that drew large crowds of notable collectors from our area and beyond. As a result of the bespoke marketing approach taken by Freeman’s, the auction was 100% sold and it more than doubled its pre-sale estimate. The packed saleroom and exceptional results were a testament to Morrison’s legacy and affirmed Freeman’s expertise in presenting such collections for sale.
June 4, 2018
On June 4, 2018, Freeman’s offered 18 Works from the Bachman Collection - a thoughtfully curated group of paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the Boca Raton Estate of Gilbert and Lee Bachman. Freeman’s successfully spotlit and devoted due attention to each work through highly targeted marketing and personal outreach, a custom-designed catalogue, and an exhibition with dramatic lighting. The single-owner sale ultimately totaled more than $2,100,000 and attracted considerable international attention, with buyers from Norway, Switzerland, Greece, France, and Italy, as well as from across the United States. Strong prices were achieved for major works by Helen Frankenthaler, Hans Hofmann, Willem de Kooning, and Fernando Botero, among others.
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Works from the prominent collection of a Philadelphia cultural champion
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A fine selection from one of Philadelphia's cultural champions