$30 estate sale painting expected to fetch $250K at NYC auction
New York Post • • entertainment
Key Points:
- A painting by American surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie, bought for $30 at a Michigan estate sale, is now expected to sell for up to $250,000 at a Manhattan auction.
- The buyer identified the artwork by spotting Abercrombie’s signature and confirmed its authenticity after seeing it featured in a Milwaukee Art Museum exhibition catalog.
- The piece, titled “Alderman Merriam’s Shells,” depicts nine seashells belonging to a Chicago alderman and reflects Abercrombie’s distinctive mysterious style.
- Art historian Susan Weininger authenticated the painting, and Freeman’s Auctions will sell it during their “Post-War & Contemporary Art” auction on October 1 in New York.
- The discovery highlights how Abercrombie’s works are occasionally found at estate sales, as noted by Freeman’s senior VP Zack Wirsum shortly before acquiring the painting.
