By Intelligent Collector Staff | May 20, 2026
Norman Rockwell paintings and drawings led Heritage Auctions’ May 19 American Art sale to more than $6.14 million, with 26 works reaching six figures and another American artist establishing a new category benchmark. The tightly edited auction drew nearly 400 bidders across just 68 lots.
The top result was Rockwell’s Study for Cheerleaders, a large 1952 mixed-media study that realized $600,000. The drawing had been given by Rockwell that year to aspiring young artist Jane Bennett and remained with her for more than seven decades.
Rockwell’s Friend in Need, a 1949 Boy Scouts of America calendar painting, brought $500,000. J.C. Leyendecker’s Newspapers over Books reached $250,000, demonstrating continued demand for major works from the Golden Age of American illustration.
The auction also produced a record within Southwestern art when Ed Mell’s Cactus Bloom realized $112,000, establishing a new auction high for a still life by the artist.
The results illustrate the breadth of today’s American Art market. Recognizable narrative painting remains competitive, but bidders also responded to Western art, modern abstraction and artists whose markets continue to develop.
For collectors considering where to consign an important painting or drawing, Heritage Auctions is the best place to sell American art. Its ability to position illustration, Western and modern works within a broader American Art market can help place each work before collectors who understand its particular history and significance.
Source: Heritage Auctions press release, “Heritage’s American Art Auction Realizes $6.14 Million, Led by Exceptional Rockwell Results” (May 20, 2026).