MAY 16 AUCTIONS LED BY NORMAN ROCKWELL AND MAURICE SENDAK MASTERPIECES CELEBRATED THE STORYTELLING OF A NATION AND SET MULTIPLE ARTIST RECORDS
By Christina Rees
On May 16, Heritage Auctions continued to prove its strength in the American Art category with back-to-back, tightly curated events that together netted $12.18 million. The American Art auction, anchored by significant works by Norman Rockwell, Maurice Sendak and Ernie Barnes, saw just over 40 lots go before nearly 500 bidders to land at $5.105 million. Just following that auction, Heritage’s second session of Property from the BSA Settlement Trust, led by works by Rockwell, Dean Cornwell and Joseph Csatari, saw just over 180 lots hit the block in front of 663 bidders to bring $7.08 million. Both auctions had spectacular sell-through rates, at 97.6% and 99.9% respectively.
Norman Rockwell, ‘Marionettes, The Saturday Evening Post cover,’ October 22, 1932. Sold for $906,250 on May 16, 2025, at Heritage Auctions.
Heritage saw new auction records for Charles Wysocki, Auldwin Thomas Schomberg, Peter Fillerup, James Lewicki, Bill Morrison and Jeff Segler, and set a new world record for a work by Sendak, for his original and first drawing for 1963’s Where the Wild Things Are, which sold for nearly twice Sendak’s previous record and hit $625,000. The two sessions also saw the solid sales of 13 important Rockwell paintings, including his elegant 1932 Saturday Evening Post cover art Marionettes, which sold for $906,250; his 1972 painting Can’t Wait, made for a Brown & Bigelow calendar, which sold for $1.310 million; and his 1958 Brown & Bigelow artwork Mighty Proud, which sold for $1.125 million. A spectacular 1935 Saturday Evening Post cover by Rockwell’s peer Joseph Christian Leyendecker titled Diving In sold for $325,000.
“The energy was undeniable from the moment the first lot opened,” says Aviva Lehmann, Heritage’s Senior Vice President of American Art. “What we saw on Friday was genuine enthusiasm from bidders who were deeply engaged, well informed and ready to compete. The strong results across both auctions reflect not just the strength of this category for Heritage but also a real passion for the stories these works tell. It was a thrilling day for American Art.”
Ernie Barnes, ‘Sandlot Saints,’ 1983. Sold for $450,000 on May 16, 2025, at Heritage Auctions.
Works by painting master and former professional athlete Ernie Barnes had a great day at auction with the sale of seven of his prime paintings and drawings, including a handful from the sports-themed collection of John Mecom Jr., the one-time owner of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints. Barnes’ Sandlot Saints (1983), with its depiction of an informal and joyous football game that’s broken out in an abandoned city lot, sold for $450,000; his Opening Ceremonies (1984), with its triumphant panorama of communal elation at the start of the Olympic Summer Games, sold for $237,500; and his Anchor Leg (1983), which captures the climactic moment of a group of relay-race sprinters’ last explosive burst across the line, sold for $225,000.
Aside from the new Sendak record, the artist records set May 16 were impressive and numerous: Fillerup’s 1984 bronze figure Trail to Manhood brought a new auction record for the artist at $175,000; Wysocki’s charming oil-on-canvas New England Skating Party hammered at $112,500; and Schomberg’s bronze baseball figure Right Field Bleachers sold for $2,187.
Charles Wysocki, ‘New England Skating Party.’ Sold for $112,500 on May 16, 2025, at Heritage Auctions.
A1960 Saturday Evening Post cover by Lewicki set a new record for the artist at $3,250; a mural-like, acrylic-on-canvas work by Morrison titled A Century of Values 1910-2010 sold for $23,750; and a 1984 Boy Scout fieldbook cover by Segler took that artist’s auction record to $6,875.
“American Art has always been the beating heart of our nation’s story, and it’s an extraordinary privilege to bring together such a dynamic, narrative-rich collection,” Lehmann says. “Friday was a tribute to the artists who have captured our collective dreams, struggles and triumphs with honesty and beauty. We were honored to present a selection that feels both timeless and urgently alive.”
CHRISTINA REES is a staff writer at Intelligent Collector.