Masterworks of American Impressionism, Illustration and Modernism Lead Heritage's November 14 American Art Auction

The tightly curated event, including significant works by Norman Rockwell, Maurice Sendak, Frank Weston Benson and Ernie Barnes, celebrates Heritage’s evolution within the American Art marketplace DOWNLOAD DIGITAL PRESS KIT DALLAS, Texas (Oct. 29, 2025) — Heritage Auctions' upcoming American Art Signature® Auction, taking place November 14, represents a defining step forward in the company's vision for the category. With just 49 carefully chosen lots, the sale exemplifies focus, intentionality and power — a "tiny but mighty" event that celebrates depth over scale and quality over quantity. "This sale captures the essence of what makes Heritage's approach to American Art so distinctive," says Aviva Lehmann, Heritage's Senior Vice President and Director of American Art. "Every painting in this auction has been selected for its resonance, rarity and artistic strength. By presenting fewer works, we're able to give each its rightful spotlight — and celebrate the extraordinary diversity and evolution of American creativity." The tightly edited sale spans the 19th century through early American Modernism, with highlights that range from luminous Impressionist canvases to legendary illustrators to vibrant Modernist icons. The result is a panoramic yet intimate portrait of American artmaking, revealing the cultural, aesthetic and emotional pulse of a nation finding its voice. A Norman Rockwell Suite for the Ages While Heritage has issued a dedicated release for Norman Rockwell's So You Want to See the President! suite, the first and only known series of four interrelated paintings conceived by Rockwell to tell a continuous story, the November 14 auction marks a historic opportunity for collectors and institutions alike. Painted in 1943 at the height of World War II, the Rockwell masterpiece presents a deeply human tableau of American democracy, set in the waiting room of the White House and populated by the very faces of the era: soldiers, reporters, diplomats and dreamers awaiting their turn with Franklin D. Roosevelt. As Lehmann notes, the inclusion of Rockwell's suite "anchors this auction as a celebration of American ideals — the dignity of the everyday, the harmony of difference and the democratic spirit that defines our collective imagination." American Impressionism: Light, Leisure and Legacy The November 14 sale showcases extraordinary works representing the best of American Impressionism, an area of increasing strength and depth at Heritage and beyond. By the time Frank Weston Benson painted Children in the Woods in 1898, he was already among America's most medaled painters — admired for his ability to unite technical mastery with emotional warmth. In this luminous scene of his children at play, Benson fully embraces the Impressionist vocabulary of broken color and shimmering light. The work marks a pivotal shift in his evolution, reflecting his deep engagement with the art of Monet and Renoir while preserving the New England lyricism that would become his hallmark. Exhibited at the artist's first solo show at Boston's St. Botolph Club, Children in the Woods signaled a turning point in Benson's career and American art at large: the confident arrival of Impressionism as a domestic language of joy and light. Created during Frederick Carl Frieseke's celebrated Giverny years, Bather (Bather Undressing) stands among his most inspired explorations of pattern, light and intimacy. Painted at a moment when war had fractured Europe, Frieseke remained in France, working in seclusion and sending home radiant canvases that earned him the Grand Prize and Gold Medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. Here, the artist's sunlit figure — her skin suffused with soft greens and blues, her gesture introspective — is enveloped by foliage and rippling water rendered in staccato strokes. The composition unites figure and landscape in a chromatic harmony that dissolves boundaries between body, nature, and light. In contrast to Frieseke's European sensibility, William Glackens' Bathers at the Lake, Conway, New Hampshire, circa 1920, distills a distinctly American vision: informal and alive with the spirit of leisure. Painted during summers spent with his family in New Hampshire, this canvas brims with the saturated hues of late summer — blues, greens and violets shimmering across the surface like music. Glackens' brushwork, both rhythmic and relaxed, captures the pulse of life at the water's edge where friends gather, children dive and color itself becomes the subject. The painting embodies a uniquely American Impressionism: democratic, joyous and attuned to the pleasures of daily experience. Illustration Art: Icons of American Storytelling Heritage has established itself as an industry leader in the field of Illustration Art, and the November 14 auction builds on that legacy with an exceptional grouping that unites technical virtuosity and cultural resonance. Chief among these are the paintings from the Boy Scouts of America Settlement Trust, offered to benefit survivors of childhood sexual abuse — a profoundly important collaboration between Heritage and the Trust that has raised millions for this cause. The present selection marks Heritage's third auction with the Trust, featuring eight Rockwell oils, two Rockwell studies, five works by Joseph Csatari and an exceptional Gutzon Borglum, each reflecting the strength of character and idealism at the core of the American spirit. Painted during Norman Rockwell's mature postwar period — often regarded as his finest — Forward America embodies the ideals of service, unity and moral courage that defined both the artist and the Boy Scouts. As the Norman Rockwell Museum observes, this era was marked by Rockwell's prodigious output and his deepening interest in depicting the civic and spiritual fabric of American life. This composition's diagonal thrust and glowing palette create a sense of forward momentum, a visual anthem to hope and preparedness. The painting transcends illustration, functioning as a national portrait of postwar optimism and purpose. No conversation about American illustration is complete without J.C. Leyendecker, whose visionary stylization shaped an entire era of magazine art. Two of his most iconic Saturday Evening Post covers appear in this auction: Thanksgiving Crest (1932), a symphony of symmetry and gratitude, and New Year's Baby (1920), featuring the artist's beloved recurring character stepping into a new decade with wit and optimism. Together these works reaffirm Leyendecker's ability to crystallize national emotion into a single, unforgettable image. Fresh from Heritage's record-breaking sale of Sendak artwork last season, the November auction includes Untitled (Max Terrorizing the Dog), a preliminary sketch for Where the Wild Things Are. Drawn with the artist's trademark blend of mischief and tenderness, the piece offers a rare glimpse into Sendak's creative process and his enduring legacy as one of America's most beloved storytellers for children and adults alike. Modernism and Black Art: Energy, Form and Freedom The sale culminates in Modernism, including a pair of powerful works by Ernie Barnes (1938–2009), whose art has come to define the intersection of movement, rhythm and representation in Postwar American painting. Following Heritage's 100% sell-through rate of Barnes' works last season, these paintings reaffirm both the artist's growing stature and the market's hunger for his vision. In Barnes' 1–2 Finish, from 1973, two hurdlers rise in perfect synchrony, their limbs extended like notes on a staff — a symphony of speed and geometry. Every curve and interval pulses with kinetic precision, transforming athletic motion into architecture. The hurdles mark the rhythm, the bodies define the melody, and the entire composition vibrates with the optimism of human striving. "Barnes found beauty in struggle," Lehmann notes. "His paintings are visual hymns to endurance, grace and community — to the poetry of motion itself." If 1–2 Finish is a study in dynamism, Barnes' Easy Shot, from 1971, is a meditation on rhythm and repose. Set in a smoky pool hall of the 1970s South, the scene radiates quiet intensity: the stretch of limbs, the lean into concentration, the geometry of angles and cues. Barnes elevates an ordinary pastime and paints with the same warmth, dignity and elongated lyricism that made his figures instantly recognizable. The painting is not just about a game but about the shared pulse of time, space and community. In Barnes' world, even stillness has rhythm. An Auction of Purpose and Vision From the luminous serenity of Benson and Frieseke to the moral clarity of Rockwell and the vitality of Barnes, Heritage's November 14 American Art Signature®Auction offers a concentrated vision of American art at its best: diverse, democratic and endlessly inventive. As Lehmann concludes, "This sale speaks to the soul of American art — to our constant reinvention, to the optimism that unites generations of artists and collectors alike. Every canvas tells a story of courage, beauty and belief. That's what makes this auction not just important, but essential." Images and information about all lots in Heritage's November 14 American Art Signature® Auction can be found here, where the auction is now open for bidding. A full preview of the auction takes place at Heritage's New York City location Nov. 8-14, 2025. Please go here and scroll down for more information. Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet's most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 2 million registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of 7,000,000 past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit. For breaking stories, follow us: HA.com/Facebook and HA.com/Twitter . Link to this release or view prior press releases . Hi-Res images available: Christina Rees, Director of Public Relations and Communications 214-409-1341; CRees@HA.com