Introduction

A monumental canvas by acclaimed American artist Robert Colescott recently took centre stage at Bonhams in New York, where it fetched an impressive hammer price of $2.8 million ($3.5 million with fees). Although the final price fell slightly below the auction house’s estimate of $3 million to $5 million, this sale marked one of the artist’s most valuable works to be sold at auction.

Bidding War at Bonhams

Bidding for the artwork titled “1919 (1980)” lasted for just over two minutes before it found its new home with Alia Dahl, a managing director at the prestigious Jeffrey Deitch gallery. Dahl acquired the painting on behalf of a leading American private collection, according to Bonhams.

A Valuable Addition to a Robust Collection

Dahl expressed her enthusiasm about the acquisition, noting that the “magnificent work will join one of the most robust collections in the nation, with a number of institutional-level works.” The collector behind this acquisition is described as being “beyond thrilled” with the addition to their collection.

The Context of the Auction

The special single-lot auction was strategically held to coincide with The Armory Show, New York’s largest and most prestigious art fair. “1919 (1980)” is a vibrant and expansive canvas that features a map of the continental United States flanked by figures representing Colescott’s parents. According to Bonhams, this artwork served as a means for the artist to intertwine the history of race in the United States with his personal experiences as a light-skinned Black American man who could pass as white. It had previously played a central role in the Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati’s 2019 retrospective titled “Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott.” This retrospective later traveled to Portland, Sarasota, Chicago, and the New Museum in New York in 2022, solidifying the painting’s significance in Colescott’s body of work.

Notable Previous Sales

This sale adds to the growing list of significant Colescott artworks that have fetched substantial sums at auction. Earlier this year, Bonhams achieved a remarkable sale of Colescott’s “Miss Liberty (1980)” for $3.7 million ($4.5 million with fees) during a February event in Los Angeles, coinciding with Frieze Los Angeles. The buyer in this instance was the Art Bridges Foundation, a non-profit established by billionaire Walmart heiress Alice Walton, who is also the founder of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Colescott’s auction record currently stands at an impressive $15.3 million (including fees) for his artwork “George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware (1975),” which was purchased at Sotheby’s in 2021 by the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The Lucas Museum is slated to open in Los Angeles in 2025, further solidifying the artist’s enduring legacy.

The recent sale of Robert Colescott’s “1919 (1980)” underscores the continued appreciation for his thought-provoking and socially significant works in the art market, positioning him as a prominent figure in American art history.

Feature Image: Robert Colescott’s1919(1980) sold at Bonhams in New York on 6 September for $2.8mCourtesy Bonhams

$4.5m Robert Colescott painting acquired by Crystal Bridges Museum