A Wave of the Surrealist Wand: Hindman Auctions To Present The Gertrude Abercrombie Collection of Laura and Gary Maurer
CHICAGO – Hindman Auctions is pleased to announce that we will present the most significant selection of Gertrude Abercrombie paintings to ever come to market in Casting Spells: The Gertrude Abercrombie Collection of Laura and Gary Maurer, a single-owner auction on September 28. As the preeminent collectors of Abercrombie works, Laura and Gary Maurer’s collection of 21 magical and mysterious career-spanning works by the enchanting artist will provide bidders a unique opportunity to compete on the broadest offering of works and some of the physically largest paintings by the “Queen of the Bohemians.”
Over the past decade, interest in American Surrealism has surged. Many of Abercrombie’s paintings, including a number in this offering, were featured in major solo exhibitions at Karma Gallery in New York, Illinois State Museum in Springfield, and the Elmhurst Art Museum. A brilliant and willfully eccentric Chicago-based Surrealist artist with close ties to the jazz music scene, her works often evoke themes such as witchcraft and sorcery, and abound with owls, moonlit landscapes, walking paths, cats, and eggs. Until recently, Abercrombie’s work was under considered, but the market has caught up, and she is among the most sought-after female artists today. Hindman has continually paced the market for Abercrombie’s works, and currently holds the world auction record for a painting by the artist.
“The Maurer Collection stands out because of how comprehensive it is, both in terms of the timeline and subjects it so beautifully captures. The selection spans Abercrombie’s entire career from one of her earlier pieces to one of her last paintings, dated 1971,” shared Susan Weininger, the leading Abercrombie scholar. “Significant examples of the artist’s most important themes are all represented, from self-portraits to mysterious landscapes through which the artist wanders, to meticulously painted and evocative still lifes and interiors, and more.”
This alluring offering captures a wide swath of Abercrombie’s oeuvre from the late 1930s to the 1970s, featuring seminal works ranging from her spellbinding self-portraiture to her transcendental landscapes, and from her iconic doors to her beloved cats. Highlighting the selection is a self-portrait from 1953 titled Self and Cat (Possims) (estimate: $300,000-500,000), an Abercrombie masterpiece that depicts a mystical Abercrombie alongside her favorite witch’s familiar Possim. Abercrombie’s 1942 Solitude (estimate: $120,000-180,000) is another major painting that will be offered. Abercrombie was also celebrated for her poignant miniatures that she often created as gifts. Her 8-by-10 inch Untitled (Blue Screen, Black Cat, Print of Same) from 1945 (estimate: $50,000 – $70,000) is a prime example.
“As the door opened into the Maurers’ home, I was immediately thrown into the dizzying Abercrombie sanctuary they created,” commented Hindman’s Vice President of Fine Art Joseph Stanfield on his first viewing of the collection. “Upon seeing Abercrombie’s unique storytelling and iconography so fully presented in the selection, I was completely under Abercrombie’s spell.”
The Maurer Collection will travel to New York City for a preview in early September. In August, Hindman will announce additional details about the previews in New York and Chicago and collection highlights.
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Featured image: Self and Cat (Possims) | Estimate: $300,000-500,000