Lately, the works of female artists are increasingly in demand and reach higher prices at auction. Further confirmation of this trend came from the success achieved by the painters Anne Ramsdell Congdon and March Avery at the Bonhams American Art summer auction on 24 August in New York.
See also: The 15 Most Expensive Female Artists
Karla Drawing by March Avery (born 1932) sold for $40,695, more than six times the low estimate, setting a record for the artist. Avery is the daughter of American modern artist Milton Avery (1885-1965), who introduced her to the world of painting and raised her among famous artists such as Mark Rothko and Adolf Gottlieb. Her works have been exhibited in numerous important museums and institutions, including the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, and the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia.
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The artist is known for using simplified and flattened shapes, rich hues and unusual combinations of bright colours. Her works often depict domestic scenes and other quiet moments of everyday life, in which subjects are outlined with essential elements in colour and shape.
Surprising results were also achieved at the Bonhams New York auction by Anne Congdon's Nantucket, Massachusetts (1873-1958), which exceeded her minimum estimate tenfold, reaching $53,295. Another respected American artist, Congdon (1873-1958) was an active member of the Nantucket island artist community and is best remembered for her vigorously brushed oil paintings of the 1930s and '40s.
Her views are masterful interpretations of the landscape during the first half of the 20th century and are popular with collectors. They have been offered at auction on several occasions, with realised prices in the order of a few thousand dollars, varying according to the size of the work.
See also: 12 Women Who Rocked the Art World
Bonhams' American Art auction yielded a total of $494,303, with 90% of lots sold. Other important lots were Wolf Kahn's Summer Trees Against a Deep Blue Sky (1927-2020), which sold at double the estimate for $50,775; Study for Pause Café by Ernie Barnes (1938-2009), sold for $40,695, or more than double the minimum estimate, and two works by Alice Hirsh (1888-1935), East River View (Fulton Fish Market) and Under the 59th Street Bridge, which also sold at higher than expected figures.
