Post War & Contemporary Art auction

Hindman’s May 11th Post War & Contemporary Art auction will feature two prominent deaccessions by Chicago Imagists Jim Nutt and Karl Wirsum from the Roger Brown Collection at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (New Buffalo, Michigan), being sold to support The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) Scholarship Fund. A distinguished Chicago Imagist himself, Brown bequeathed his estate to his beloved alma mater SAIC, to serve as invaluable resources to students, alumni and the greater public at large in perpetuity.

In addition to the deaccessions from the Roger Brown Collection, works released from the uniquely specific personal collection of John and Sue Wieland also known as the wareHOUSE will be available. The Wieland’s began collecting in the mid-1980’s and their collection, which now includes works by more than 350 national and international artists in an extraordinary array of variations on the themes of residences, architecture and dwellings, is displayed in Atlanta’s Westside District, appropriately in a 27,000 square foot warehouse.

Rounding out the offerings in the auction are exceptional examples by Jean Dubuffet, Roberto Matta, Stanley Whitney, Larry Poons, Jules Olitski, Alexander Calder, George Rickey, William Turnbull and Harry Bertoia. Following the record-setting sale at Hindman in February of Gertrude Abercrombie’s The Dinosaur, four more equally compelling paintings by the artist will be offered, including a charmingly miniature work that was originally gifted to jazz icon and friend Dizzy Gillespie.

A Pair of Works from the New Buffalo, Michigan Roger Brown Collection, Sold to Support the School of the Art Institute of Chicago Scholarship Fund

Roger Brown was not only a world-renowned artist, but also an avid collector of works by his fellow Chicago Imagists along with folk and indigenous art, textiles, decorative arts and other genres. The complete collection at the Veronda Pavilion and Roger Brown Studio and Guest House in New Buffalo, Michigan encompasses contemporary art, tribal sculpture and textiles, folk art and works by self-taught artists, as well as pieces by Brown himself (SAIC website).

The works being offered from the Brown collection are Hairy Who artist Jim Nutt’s 1985 colored pencil on paper, stage drawing, Do you See Something? (lot 6; estimate: $30,000-50,000) and fellow Hairy Who member Karl Wirsum’s acrylic painted sculpture Any One? Ten Is! (lot 7; estimate: $30,000-50,000). 

The leading highlight from the wareHOUSE consignment is Thomas Ruff’s Substrat 9 III (lot 62; estimate: $50,000-70,000), a prime example of the artist’s innovative and boundary pushing photography. Another noteworthy piece from the collection is AfriCOBRA founding member Wadsworth Jarrell’s vibrantly eye-catching Cookin’ N Smokin’ (lot 17; estimate: $30,000 - $50,000).

The top lots to be offered in the auction are British ex pat painter John Craxton’s iconic Creten taverna scene Still Life with Three Sailors (lot 18; estimate: $150,00-250,000) and Ed Clark’s Creation (lot 65; estimate: $150,000- $250,000), a powerfully physical abstract, painted with a push broom, by an artist, once overlooked and now highly in demand.

How to Bid:

Bidding for the May 11th Post War & Contemporary Art auction will begin at 10am CT, and will be available in-person, via phone, and online via Hindman’s Digital Bid Room and additional online bidding platforms. Additional information about the auction can be found via the website page and the catalogue.

About Hindman
Hindman is one of the nation’s leading fine art auction houses connecting cities nationwide to the global art market and providing expertise across all categories, sales channels and price points. Hindman will celebrate its 40th anniversary this October. Since its founding, Hindman has come to operate more salerooms in the United States than any other auction house and conducts over 140 auctions a year in categories such as fine art, jewelry and watches, modern design, books and manuscripts, couture, furniture and decorative arts, Asian art, Western art, antiquities, and more. Hindman was formed through the acquisition of two premier auction houses, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers (est.1982) and Cowan’s Auctions (est. 1995). Headquartered in Chicago, Hindman is home to over 160 employees, with additional offices in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Milwaukee, Naples, Palm Beach, San Diego, Scottsdale, St. Louis and Washington D.C. Visit HindmanAuctions.com for more information.