Sotheby’s auction of American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture at in New York, on 19 May, will be led by important works from the Collection of Edward P. Evans. A well-known member of the equine community, Mr. Evans’s collection features a range of 19th- and 20th-century paintings, with a particular emphasis on American Impressionism and the Ashcan School, and is highlighted by paintings from artists including Childe Hassam, George Bellows, William Glackens and William Merritt Chase as well as sculpture by Frederic Remington and Herbert Haseltine. Works from the Collection will be on exhibition along with the full sale at Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries beginning 14 May.
Edward Evans’s racing and breeding program at Spring Hill Farm in Casanova, Virginia produced more than 100 stake winners in just over 30 years, earning him the title of “Breeder of the Year” by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association in 2009. The Edward P. Evans Foundation was created in his honor, to support excellence in eduation, medical research, and the support of American Fine Arts. Mr. Evans’s encyclopedic sporting painting collection, as well as furniture and decorations from his New York City and Virginia homes, will be offered at Sotheby’s New York and London salesrooms this fall.
Property from the Collection of Edward P. Evans on offer in the 19 May sale is led by Childe Hassam’s Quai St. Michel, painted during the artist’s travels in Paris in the late-1880s (est. $2.5/3.5 million*). While Hassam’s focal point is an elegant young woman browsing Paris’s famed bookinistes, the setting’s rich mixture of soft atmospheric effects and stone architecture competes for the viewer’s attention.
George Bellows, Dock Builders. Est. $2/3 million. Photo: Sotheby’s.
One of Mr. Evans’s favorite paintings and another standout from the Collection is George Bellows’s Dock Builders (est. $2/3 million). The first of a series of works by the artist that focus on Maine’s rugged seamen, the canvas exhibits the same compositional dynamism that Bellows made famous in his iconic boxing scenes.
Also highlighting the Collection is William Glackens’s brightly-colored Washington Square, which depicts the daytime activity of one of Greenwich Village’s most picturesque locations and a frequent subject among the Ashcan artists (est. $700/900,000). The Old Sand Road is an example of William Merritt Chase’s en plein air painting executed during his time at the Shinnecock Hills Summer Art School at the turn of the 20th century (est. $700/900,000). The canvas features his two daughters, whose bright clothing punctuates the cool hues of the landscape. Two portraits of children by Robert Henri include Mary Ann (Mollie) (est. $400/600,000) and Irish Lad ($250/350,000).
Sculpture in the Collection features Herbert Haseltine’s Percheron Stallion: Rhum from 1942 (est. $80/120,000), as well as Frederic Remington’s Bronco Buster (est. $125/175,000).
*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium
