The painting, which had been missing for over 70 years and belonged to artist Gertrude Abercrombie, was sold at auction for $1.3 million (equivalent to approximately 1.1 million euros). This occurred after it was purchased for only $30 (just over 25 euros) at a garage sale at her property in the state of Michigan, USA.
The work, titled 'Alderman Merriam's Shells,' painted by Abercrombie in 1951, became the artist's most expensive piece. The painting depicts a collection of shells belonging to Chicago alderman Robert Merriam, who was at the time a prominent figure in the art community in the area where the artist lived.
The final price significantly exceeded the expected range of $150–250 thousand. Initially, the painting was offered to a doctor in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in exchange for medical services in 1952. After that, it was exhibited in New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Evanston between 1952 and 1953, and was last shown at the Chicago Design Center in 1953. After that, it simply disappeared.
Until now, it remained unnoticed by a collector who was looking for vinyl records at a garage sale in Kalamazoo. Upon inspection, he saw writing on the back, which he was able to identify. He bought it for $30, and then it was sold at auction on Thursday for $1.35 million. Auction house Freeman's stated that this amount sets a new world record for Abercrombie's works.
Art experts quoted by CBS note that this painting marks a turning point in the artist's work, when she began to lean more towards surrealism. The work presents a set of shells against a dark background, where one shell floats in a gloomy black space, as if attached to it. Although at first glance it might seem like a simple still life composition, it contains mysterious effects: each shell has its own light source located at different angles. The black background, on which the single shell floats, resembles infinite space, and a cracked shell is presented for the first time in the work, which has become a frequent motif in her pieces.
