December 3, 2012
Auction Record for Asher B. Durand at Freeman’s
December 2, 2012 (Philadelphia, Pa) - Discovery and exploration are prevalent themes of Hudson River school artists and of today's auction, Fine American & European Paintings & Sculpture, at Freeman's. The top lot, Asher B. Durand's (1796-1886) ethereal painting simply titled "Landscape" (illustrated above), generated significant interest since its publication in Freeman's catalogue and was chased by bidders on the phone and in the room. Its final price of $386,500 is an auction record for Durand, one of the notable Hudson River School artists. "Today's results demonstrate that the demise of the 19th-century American art market has been greatly exaggerated. The combination of quality and fresh to the market works are in high demand. This Durand has been in a private collection of a prominent New York family for decades and they are thrilled with the results, " shared Freeman's Vice Chairman and auctioneer Alasdair Nichol. Works by American painters Edwin Lord Weeks, George William Sotter and Edmund William Greacen also performed well.
Another painting of discovery and exploration is the stately "Grizzly Bear" by Carl Rungius (1869-1959)-considered the first wildlife painter in America-which achieved a solid $230,500 (illustrated below). The 166 works offered in today's auction attracted bidders and buyers from around the world and Freeman's has re-affirmed it's ability to achieve record results for its clients. Overall, the sale realized $1,843,937.
