Doyle New York was honored to auction Prints and Books from The Creekmore and Adele Fath Charitable Foundation Collection of Austin, Texas on November 8, 2011. This important single-owner sale brings together Mr. Fath's two most enduring passions -- politics and art.
With competitive bidding from buyers in the salesroom, on the telephones and via the Internet, the sale totaled $566,781,surpassing the pre-sale estimate of $315,250-463,700, with a strong 91% sold by lots and 98% sold by value.
Strong prices were realized for
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Benton’s iconic Going West,1934, which sold for $28,125;
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Threshing, 1941, which reached a record $6,250;
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The Race, 1942, $10,000
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and Running Horses,1955, a record $8,125.
Mr. Fath's collecting extended to other American regionalists such as Grant Wood, Reginald Marsh, John Steuart Curry, William Gropper and George Bellows, as well as works by the Mexican social realists they so admired -- Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Siquieros.
Benton’s iconic Going West,1934, which sold for $28,125;
Threshing, 1941, which reached a record $6,250;
The Race, 1942, $10,000
and Running Horses,1955, a record $8,125.
Mr. Fath's collecting extended to other American regionalists such as Grant Wood, Reginald Marsh, John Steuart Curry, William Gropper and George Bellows, as well as works by the Mexican social realists they so admired -- Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Siquieros.
All prices include the Buyer's Premium.
CREEKMORE AND ADELE FATH
Creekmore Fath (1916-2009) was an influential figure in Texas politics. After law school at the University of Texas, where he co-founded the campus Progressive Democrats, he moved to Washington to serve in the FDR administration and then the Democratic National Committee. He married Adele Hay in 1947 and moved back to Austin, where he ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a liberal New Dealer. He spent the rest of his live as a sought-after political consultant and kingmaker and a standard bearer for progressive politics.
Adele Hay Fath (1917-2007) was the daughter of New York socialite Alice Appleton Hay and anthropologist Clarence Hay, the son of John Hay, Lincoln’s private secretary. Mrs. Fath followed her husband to Austin, where she became a prominent hostess and philanthropist.
PRINTS BY THOMAS HART BENTON
In 1939, after receiving his first fee as a lawyer, Mr. Fath ordered his first Benton lithograph for $5 from Associated American Artists. Mr. Fath's quest to locate and purchase as many Benton prints as possible culminated in the publication of his highly respected catalogue raisonne of the artist's lithographs, years of personal friendship with the artist, and the largest private collection of Benton prints outside the artist's family. The Fath Collection comprised all but a few of the approximately 100 lithographs thatBenton created, including several not listed in the catalogue raisonne. Among the highlights were the iconic works Going West, 1934; (above)
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Wreck of the Ol' 97, 1944;
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and Jesse James, 1936.
In 1939, after receiving his first fee as a lawyer, Mr. Fath ordered his first Benton lithograph for $5 from Associated American Artists. Mr. Fath's quest to locate and purchase as many Benton prints as possible culminated in the publication of his highly respected catalogue raisonne of the artist's lithographs, years of personal friendship with the artist, and the largest private collection of Benton prints outside the artist's family. The Fath Collection comprised all but a few of the approximately 100 lithographs thatBenton created, including several not listed in the catalogue raisonne. Among the highlights were the iconic works Going West, 1934; (above)
Wreck of the Ol' 97, 1944;
and Jesse James, 1936.
Christie's 2013
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Christie's 2005
Christie's 2000
PR.$28,200
More Christie's
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Bonhams 2006
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Thomas Hart Benton;
Spring Tryout;
More Christie's
The New Pony
PRICE REALIZED
$1,538,500
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Shipping Out
PRICE REALIZED
$1,025,000
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Study for Father Hennepin at Niagara Falls
PRICE REALIZED
$785,000
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The Plains
PRICE REALIZED
$725,000
Cotton Picking and Loading
PRICE REALIZED
$665,000
TP Three Years Old
PRICE REALIZED
$182,500
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On Leave
PRICE REALIZED
$170,500
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Martha's Vineyard
PRICE REALIZED
$170,500
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Still Life
PRICE REALIZED
$167,000
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Menemsha Pond
PRICE REALIZED
$110,500
Bonhams 2006
Spring Tryout;
Sold for US$ 2,151