Over the course of his prolific career, Norman Rockwell developed a remarkable relationship with The Saturday Evening Post, executing 321 cover illustrations for the publication over a forty-seven year period. In this episode of Anatomy of An Artwork, discover the charm of Rockwell’s Little Boy Writing Letter, originally painted for the cover of the January 17, 1920 issue. Painted during the early period of the artist’s career, Little Boy Writing Letter demonstrates the more expressive and painterly manner of execution that characterizes his works from the 1920s and early 1930s. This distinctive ability to achieve near perfect realism propelled Rockwell’s art to the forefront of the collective American consciousness, and ultimately became integral to the country’s vision of itself, its history and its values. Explore this lot and more in Sotheby’s American Art Sale. (21 May | New York)

Past Auction

American Art

21 May 2019 | 10:00 AM EDT | New York