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7 Hidden Gems from American Art Online

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Online auctions offer collectors the convenience of bidding on artworks from anywhere in the world while a sale is live, meaning finding that must-have piece has never been easier. As Sotheby’s auction of American Art Online continues, open for bidding through 24 May at 4 pm EST, our Specialists have picked seven of their favorite under-the-radar pieces on offer.  

American Art Online
Through 24 May | Online

7 Hidden Gems from American Art Online

  • Antonio Jacobsen, Harmonia, circa 1875-76. Estimate $25,000–35,000.
    Antonio Jacobsen was one of the most prolific American maritime painters, executing over 6,000 depictions of sail and steam vessels during his lifetime and earning himself the nickname the “Audubon of Steam Vessels.” He spent his entire career in Manhattan or Hoboken, New Jersey and depicted almost every single vessel that sailed in and out of New York Harbor between 1873 and 1919.

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  • Robert Reid, Flowers. Estimate $10,000–15,000.
    Robert Reid was a founding member of “The Ten,” a loosely defined group of French-trained American artists associated with Impressionism who exhibited together for 20 years. He is best known for his depictions of elegant women in garden settings and favored a palette of vivid pastels, as exemplified in the present picture.

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  • Henrietta Dunn Mears, Back Street, Bermuda , circa 1918. Estimate $4,000–6,000.
    Born in 1877 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Henrietta Dunn Mears studied at the Arts Student League in New York City under the direction of Eric Pape and painted alongside artists such as Charles Webster Hawthorne in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She spent several winters in Bermuda and was enamored by the island’s tranquility and elusive beauty.

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  • John F. Francis, Still Life with Plums in a Glass Bowl. Estimate $10,000–15,000.
    A predominantly self-taught artist, John Francis first worked as a portrait painter in the Philadelphia region. He painted his first known still life in 1850 and by 1854 he had begun to focus exclusively on the genre. His subjects range from full luncheons to desserts, which he would precisely arrange on a tabletop as seen in Still Life with Plums in a Glass Bowl, and his works are characterized by their delicate brushwork and soft palette.

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  • Konrad Cramer, Prickly Pears and Pomegranates, 1929. Estimate $15,000–25,000.
    Born and raised in Wurtzburg, Germany, Konrad Cramer became interested in the German avant-garde at an early age and was influenced by the experimental works of Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc. He moved to Woodstock, New York in 1911 and established a reputation as a one of the region’s most modern painters. By the 1920s he developed a personal representational style that fused European modernism with regional influences and imagery of American culture.

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  • Charles Demuth, Pink Lady Slippers, 1918. Estimate $40,000–60,000.
    Executed in 1918, Pink Lady Slippers is not only an exquisite example of Charles Demuth’s engagement with the still life genre but also a demonstration of his ability to transform this traditional subject with his distinctive style. The artist beautifully captures the effects of light and shadow on the blossoms he depicts, while simultaneously instilling the watercolor with a sense of modernism.

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  • Childe Hassam, Copley Square, 1986. Estimate $40,000–60,000.
    Executed in 1886 when Childe Hassam was living in Boston, Copley Square successfully captures a central landmark of the artist’s hometown and exemplifies his ability to portray cityscapes with affection and originality. His signature images include views of Boston, Paris and New York – three urban centers where he spent time.


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