Continued Success with Gertrude Abercrombie Dominates Freeman’s | Hindman’s Post War Sale

Freeman’s | Hindman attracted 29% new buyers in its May 13 Post War and Contemporary Art auction, achieving an impressive $3 million in total sales with 78% of lots sold. The top lot of the day was Fritz Scholder’s seminal work, Four Indian Riders, which realized $476,750—marking the artist’s second-highest result at auction. This outcome highlights the firm’s dedication to the artist. Freeman’s | Hindman currently holds the highest two auction records for the artist and five of the overall top ten records for Scholder. 

Following Scholder's success, the celebrated Chicago surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie exceeded expectations, with her paintings Set for the Night and Moonlight and Landscape with Tree (Tree Lady) selling for $267,200 and $222,750, respectively. Both pieces surpassed their pre-sale estimates of $50,000 - 70,000 and $60,000 - 80,000. The collection of five Abercrombie artworks attracted competitive bids and achieved a 100% sell-through rate, highlighting the firm’s strong position in the market for this artist’s creations. These strong results reflect the expertise and dedication of the team, as well as the strong interest from collectors worldwide.  

Commenting on the sale, Zack Wirsum, Senior Vice President, Head of Department, Post War & Contemporary Art, said: “The Freeman’s | Hindman team rode four Fritz Scholder horses into town with saddle bags full of Gertrude Abercrombie magic tricks, bringing the best of our locally sourced home-grown flavors to the global New York marketplace table for our diverse yet cohesive May 13th Post War & Contemporary Art auction. It was exhilarating to see both artists—whose markets we have been instrumental in creating—achieve remarkable results as the top two lots of the day, each going to different new bidders to the firm. In keeping with the global reach and local option theme, the Abercrombie will now be all set for European nights, and we said goodbye horses on the Scholder to a collector who shares our New York zip code.”

TOP TEN LOTS 

Fritz Scholder (Luiseño, 1937-2005) | Four Indian Riders, 1967 | Sold for $476,750
2nd Highest Price for the Artists’ Work at Auction 

Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977) | Set for the Night, 1950 | Sold for $267,200 

Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977) | Moonlight and Landscape with Tree (Tree Lady), 1944 | 
Sold for $222,750 

Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977) | Landscape with Giraffe, c. 1950-55 | Sold for $165,600 

Osvaldo Mariscotti (American, b. 1960) | Ensemble, 2015 | Sold for $108,450 

Esteban Vicente (American/Spanish, 1903–2001) | Composition, 1957  | Sold for $108,450 

Magdalena Abakanowicz (Polish, 1930-2017) | Two Moons, 1974 | Sold for $76,700 

Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977) | Three Trees and Three Clouds, 1938 | Sold for $64,000 

Nabil Nahas (Lebanese, b. 1949) | Untitled, 2014  | Sold for $60,800 

Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977)| She and I, 1935 | Sold for $57,600