Records & Results: October 2022 African American Art Auction Swann Galleries’ October 6, 2022 sale of African American Art delivered $3.7M with auction debuts and records for artists in the top 15 lots of the auction. Of the auction, Nigel Freeman, director of African American art for the house, noted, “I am very pleased to see our fall auction of African American Art have many strong results across such a wide range of modern and contemporary art: from the modernist paintings of Norman Lewis to the painted leather art of Winfred Rembert.” Norman Lewis & Abstract Art From left to right: Norman Lewis, Untitled (Abstraction in Orange), oil on canvas, 1967. Sold for $437,000; Norman Lewis, Untitled, oil on canvas, 1947. Sold for $317,000; Charles Alston, Black and White #3 (Astral #3), oil on canvas, 1961. Sold for $173,000. Norman Lewis led the sale with a 1967 abstract oil-on-canvas in orange at $437,000, as well as an early abstraction from 1947 at $317,000. Additional highlights included Hale Woodruff’s 1967 painting Landscape at $209,000; Charles Alston’s 1961 Black and White #3 (Astral #3) at $173,000; and Cliff Joseph’s 1970 Rise People Rise, which delivered a record for Joseph at $100,000. Cliff Joseph, Rise People Rise, oil on canvas, 1970. Sold for $100,000 a record for the artist. Winfred Rembert Winfred Rembert works from left to right: Winfred Rembert and Class of 1959, dye on carved and tooled leather, 1999. Sold for $233,000; Jeff’s Cafe & Pool Room and Zeb’s Shoe Shine, dye on carved and tooled leather, 1998. Sold for $221,000. The selection of three Winfred Rembert lots on offer brought significant fanfare from bidders, with each of the unique tooled leather paintings selling far above their high estimate. The offering included Winfred Rembert and Class of 1959, 1999, which realized $233,000; Jeff’s Cafe & Pool Room and Zeb’s Shoe Shine, 1998, at $221,000; and The Book That Couldn’t Be Read, 2013, at $52,500. Rembert’s 2021 biography, told by Erin I. Kelly, Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South, recently won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. Works on Paper Left: Charles White, Folk Singer, linoleum cut, 1957. Sold for $137,000, a record for the print. Classic modernist works on paper by Charles White and Jacob Lawrence proved their staying power in the market with White’s 1957 linoleum cut Folk Singer earning $137,000, a record for the print, and Lawrence’s 1951 brush and ink drawing Westchester Graduation Ball bringing $106,250. Jacob Lawrence, Westchester Graduation Ball, brush and ink, 1951. Sold for $106,250. Artist Records & Auction Debuts Artist records from left to right: Harold Cousins, Viking, welded steel, 1952. Sold for $52,500; Marion Perkins, Untitled (Head of a King), carved marble, 1950-55. Sold for $47,500. Artist records were had by Harold Cousins with a 1952 welded steel sculpture Viking, at $52,500, and Marion Perkins with a 1950s narrow, carved marble head of a king, at $47,500. Auction debuts included works by Xenobia Bailey and Andy Robert. Looking to sell at auction? Consign with Swann. Share Facebook Twitter October 10, 2022Author: Kelsie JankowskiCategory: African American Art Tags: African American Art Andy Robert Charles Alston Charles White Cliff Joseph Hale Woodruff Harold Cousins Jacob Lawrence Marion Perkins Norman Lewis Records & Results Winfred Rembert Xenobia Bailey Previous Family Papers of Lincoln’s Secretary of the Navy Brings $281k in Fall 2022 Americana Auction at Swann Next Old Master Through Modern Prints: November 3, 2022 Auction Highlights Recommended Posts 2021: Year in Review Swann December 22, 2021 Judging a Book by Its Cover Illustration Art January 6, 2014 African American Art: October 6, 2022 Auction Highlights African American Art August 30, 2022