On May 19 in Dallas, Heritage Auctions will present its American Art Signature Auction, featuring roughly 60 lots of 19th- and 20th-century paintings, drawings and sculpture, including examples of maritime, Hudson River School, Golden Age Illustration, Western art and contemporary figure and landscape works. A large portion of the sale is devoted to 19 works by Norman Rockwell, the majority property from the Boy Scouts of America Settlement Trust, that include depictions of Boy Scouts of America subject matter as well as iconic cover illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post.
Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874-1951), Man Seated Before Fireplace (Arrow Collars & Shirts advertisement). Oil on panel, 22 x 18 in. Estimate: $70/100,000
Leading the Rockwell offerings are Study for Cheerleaders, 1952, and Willie Gillis in Convoy, circa 1943, both valued at $300,000 to 500,000.
Of the study, Heritage vice president and West Coast director of American art Liz Goodridge says, “Rockwell was an incredible draftsman; his preparatory studies for major studio paintings often include fine attention to detail, almost photographic in many ways. This work is the perfect example of his skill as an illustrator and draftsman.” Rockwell’s final oil painting of Cheerleaders (Losing the Game) appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in February of 1952. It sold at auction in 2015 for $4,506,000 against an estimate of $2.5 to $3.5 million.
Ernie Barnes (1938-2009), First Impressions, 1982. Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 18 in., signed lower right: Ernie Barnes. Estimate: $150/250,000
“We expect works by Norman Rockwell to lead the top prices in this auction,” says Goodridge. “The 19 lots by this artist represent a broad range of subject matter, mediums as well as initial publication usage, therefore appealing to a broad range of prospective buyers with varied collecting interests.
“So far, among the BSA Settlement Trust lots offered at Heritage, three Norman Rockwell works have surpassed $1 million, far exceeding their starting bids set at $100,000. Another seven lots by Rockwell from BSA have sold between $800,000 and $1 million. Out of 27 artworks by Norman Rockwell that have been sold at Heritage by the BSA Settlement Trust since November 2024, 10 have achieved sale prices above $800,000. We therefore hope that results for similar material in this auction cycle will continue to outpace their modest starting bids.”
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), Study for Cheerleaders, 1952. Mixed media on paper, 401⁄8 x 38½ in. Signed and inscribed lower right: ‘My best wishes for a / successful art career / to Jane Bennett / Sincerely / Norman / Rockwell’. Estimate: $300/500,000
Illustration will figure prominently throughout the sale, Heritage having established itself a leader in the market. Other examples include a Saturday Evening Post cover by Joseph Leyendecker, as well as two paintings produced for the artist’s celebrated Arrow Collars & Shirts ad series. Also on offer are two works on paper by Maurice Sendak, including a cartoon storyboard produced for Bell Atlantic as well as a drawing depicting figures from The Wild Things, following Heritage’s world record price for a work by the artist in May 2025.
Collectors of the Western genre should keep an eye out for a selection of works by Maynard Dixon, G. Harvey, William Robsinson Leigh, Tom Lea and Ed Mell. There will also be a suite of American bronze sculptures by Wilhelm Diderich and Alexander Proctor, as well a rare figurative bronze by Carl Paul Jennewein. Modernism will be represented in works like Will Barnet’s Dialogue in Yellow, and an abstract composition by founder of synchromism Stanton Macdonald-Wright.
Thomas Moran (1837-1926), The Palace at Cortés, 1903. Oil on canvas, 20 x 30 in., signed with monogram and dated lower right: ‘T. Moran. 1903’. Estimate: $70/100,000
A diverse variety of more recent works are expected to fare well in the sale, including two figurative paintings by Ernie Barnes executed in the 1980s, an oil and a pastel by Wolf Kahn from 1992 and 1984 respectfully; and a large G. Harvey painting titled Dallas Remembered from 1985.
“With the broad range of material offered in our sale, spanning two centuries, our buyers are multigenerational,” says Goodridge. “There is something for everyone in our auctions.”
Prior to the Dallas sale, a full preview will be available at Heritage Auctions in Chicago from April 28 to May 1, followed by a showing of highlights from May 11 to 18 at Heritage Auctions in New York. —
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