Charles Bell's Gum Ball I Sets Artist Auction Record in Heritage’s $4.73 Million Modern & Contemporary Art Sale

The Nov. 19 auction saw robust global participation and strong results for Bell, George Morrison, Ed Ruscha, Lynda Benglis and more DOWNLOAD DIGITAL PRESS KIT DALLAS, Texas (Nov. 20, 2025) — Heritage Auctions’ Nov. 19 Modern & Contemporary Art Signature® Auction realized $4.73 million with buyer’s premium, achieving artist auction records for Charles Bell and George Morrison, a 91% sell-through rate across 108 lots. It drew 653 bidders from around the world. The auction’s centerpiece, Charles Bell’s monumental Gum Ball I (1971), set a new auction record for the artist at $812,500, reaffirming Bell’s place as a pioneer of American Photorealism. Standing five feet tall and painted with mesmerizing precision, the work epitomizes Bell’s ability to elevate the everyday into the extraordinary. “Bell’s Gum Ball I perfectly captures what this auction was about — technical brilliance, imagination, and a fresh way of looking at the familiar,” says Frank Hettig, Heritage Auctions’ Senior Vice President of Modern & Contemporary Art. “Collectors responded enthusiastically to its scale and spirit.” Among the sale’s strongest performers was another artist record broken with George Morrison’s Blue & Red (Noon Reflection) (1958), which sold for $300,000, exceeding expectations and underscoring the artist’s rapidly rising prominence in Postwar abstraction. Morrison (1919-2000), a member of the Chippewa (Ojibwe) Nation, created layered “landscapes of the mind” that bridged Abstract Expressionism and Indigenous visual traditions, and his growing recognition was reflected in determined bidding from both new and established collectors. “The response to Morrison’s work was extraordinary,” Hettig adds. “Collectors clearly recognize that he’s an essential voice and one whose importance continues to grow.” Other standout results included Ed Ruscha’s twin 1983 Hollywood works, Blue Hollywood and Hollywood Sunset, which achieved strong prices with $312,500 and $437,500, respectively, and reaffirmed enduring demand for the artist’s cinematic Pop imagery. Sculptures by Lynda Benglis ($300,000) and John Chamberlain ($187,500) drew competitive bidding, as did a tagged fire extinguisher by Jean-Michel Basquiat ($93,750). A commanding late work by Ron Gorchov, whose distinctive curved canvases continue to attract new collectors, sold for $125,000. “This sale showcased the depth and diversity of contemporary collecting,” says Hettig. “From Postwar abstraction to Pop and beyond, we saw healthy competition and a widening appreciation for artists whose work reshaped the visual language of the last century. It’s an incredibly encouraging close to the year.” For complete results for Heritage’s Nov. 19 Modern & Contemporary Art Signature® Auction please go here. 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