NEW YORK, NY.- Evening Encampment by Wolf Kahn (1927-2020) set a new auction world record for a work by the artist at Bonhams American Art sale in New York last month (November 24). The painting sold for $162,813, after competitive bidding against a pre-sale estimate of $30,000-50,000. Kahn painted Evening Encampment in 1974 at his summer home in Vermont and drew upon his recent memories of a trip he had made to Kenya. Evening Encampment came with a letter from the artist, in which he asserts that this is one of his best works.

Bonhams American Art specialist Aaron Anderson said: “Evening Encampment is a superb example of Kahn’s mastery of style and his ability to portray the atmospheric conditions of the landscape around him with vibrant intensity. We were saddened to learn of the artist’s passing earlier this year and were honored to have the opportunity to offer such a significant work by him. The sale results demonstrate that Kahn’s legacy thrives and collectors’ enthusiasm for his work is stronger than ever.”

The top lot of the sale was Entrance to Golden Gate by Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902). During his extensive travels throughout the West, Bierstadt spent much of his time in California recording the topography of the Golden State, from the coast to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In Entrance to Golden Gate, Bierstadt characteristically depicts a landscape almost devoid of the presence of man, letting the placid, naturalistic splendour of California take pride of place. Sold for $250,313 (estimate: $200,000-300,000).

Elsewhere in the sale, several works sold well above their estimates, including:

House Overlooking the Connecticut River by Wolf Kahn. The artist began exploring the Connecticut River as a subject as early as 1978, venturing on the river on a pontoon boat owned by a friend. During these explorations he sketched ideas in pastel that he would later turn into paintings and that is likely how the present work, painted in 1993, was conceived. Sold for $75,313 (estimate: $30,000-50,000).

Enthroned by Bessie Potter Vonnoh (1872-1955). Modeled in 1902 and cast in 1907, Enthroned is one of the most distinguished works in the artist's oeuvre on the subject of mothers and children and masterfully demonstrates her prized abilities as a modeler to create complex relationships between composition, texture, and pattern. Sold for $60,313 (estimate: $12,000-18,000).

Woodland Terry by Neil Welliver (1929-2005). The present work depicting a nude woman partially submerged in a creek bed is a remarkable example of one of Neil Welliver's figurative works and exhibits his signature representational style. Welliver was fascinated by the physical distortions of the body created by water and, as a result, the natural abstracted image. Painted in 1966, the work sold for $45,313 (estimate: $6,000-8,000).