CHICAGO, IL.- Work by Gertrude Abercrombie, Olga de Amaral, Louise Nevelson, and Pat Steir beat their estimates selling for six figures in Freeman’s | Hindman’s Post War and Contemporary Art auction on April 24. On the day, seven works sold for over $100,000, four of them created by female artists, spearheading Freeman’s | Hindman to a $2.9 million total.

“We were thrilled to see so much spirited bidding in our Post War & Contemporary auction,” said Zachary S. Wirsum, Freeman’s | Hindman’s senior vice president and head of the Post War and Contemporary Art department. “It was especially pleasing to see top notch examples by previously overlooked female artists soar well beyond their estimates.”

A Clear Demand for Female Artists

Works by female artists proved to be the most coveted lots of the day accounting for just over half of the sale’s total at $1.5 million, including three of the top five lots of the day.

Pat Steir’s (American, b. 1938) sizeable 1993 oil on canvas Small Ghost Waterfall was the top lot of the day selling for $533,400, more than double its presale estimate. Quintessentially Steir, the piece manages to walk the fine line between abstraction and atmosphere. Steir used a variety of mark-making techniques to emphasize movement and chance, making a connection between word and image to immerse the view into the painting’s specific frame of mind.

A remarkable textile piece from Columbian artist Olga de Amaral (b. 1932) more than tripled its presale estimate selling for $304,800. Cesta Lunar 35 (1990) is a sweeping, shimmering work comprised of paint and gold leaf enmeshed in fibers, bright gold threads cascading down to a rich violet umber. The piece is an excellent example of the cosmic voyages taken in de Amaral’s Cesta Lunares (Moon Baskets) series.

Of course, no Freeman’s | Hindman Post War and Contemporary Art auction would be complete without a piece by Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977) vaulting past its estimate. In this sale, Giraffe and Moon with Volcano (Giraffe and Volcano #2) had the honor of besting its estimate by more than $200,000 selling for $266,700. As aptly named as ever by Abercrombie, the piece depicts a giraffe reaching to touch a low-hanging crescent moon in an austere landscape. Abercrombie did many paintings of giraffes throughout her career and the volcano adds a new dimension to the composition that created a voracious bidding war between five phone bidders.

Between Realism and Abstraction

Two works by Alex Katz (American, b. 1927) also managed to reach six figures on the day. The subject of more than 200 solo exhibitions and international acclaim, the signature style of Katz is a deliberately vibrant visual language between realism and abstraction, ambivalence and intimacy. Coming of age alongside the titans of New York’s Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s, Katz boldly favored flatness of color and form rather than gestural primacy and raw emotion. His work is deceptively simple; his technique of painting wet on wet evokes a lustrous finish to his canvases, defying two-dimensionality even in their flatness.

The 2016-17 oil on linen entitled Ariel was the top seller of the pair, achieving $317,500. A quietly moody portrait of Ariel Vieth, a model and frequent muse of Katz’s, the painting depicts a woman who is simultaneously a familiar figure and otherworldly specter.

2001’s Golden Field #1 also topped $200,000 selling for $228,600. Although on first blush, these two works may seem markedly different, Katz’s unmistakable style shines through. In both Golden Field #1 and Ariel, Katz is simply painting his environment, flash-in-the-pan moments he captures in thick brushstrokes and meditatively stylized forms.

Other Notable Highlights

The auction saw a number of notable highlights across a wide variety of mediums and movements, including:

• Louise Nevelson (American, 1899-1988), Untitled, c. 1973-78. Sold for $177,800

• Michael Goldberg (American, 1924-2007), Sad Street, 1958. Sold for $114,300

• Larry Poons (American, b. 1937), Untitled (15-A), 1976. Sold for $82,550

• Ed Clark (American, 1926-2019), Standing Woman at the Chair, 1949-50 Sold for $63,500

• Harry Bertoia (American, 1915-1978), Untitled, c. 1969. Sold for $57,150

• Lynne Drexler (American, 1928-1999), Trunk Grass, 1980. Sold for $53,975