LOS ANGELES, CA.- At Bonhams California and Western Paintings & Sculpture sale last night (November 21), an exceptional painting of the famous Monterey Bay by Californian Impressionist E. Charlton Fortune sold for $787,500. The work had never appeared at auction before, and Californian buyers clamored to bid on the painting, which featured the female artist’s favorite subject – the curving bay south of San Francisco.

E. Charlton Fortune has been hailed as ‘California’s finest Impressionist’ – she was a pioneering modernist in her day, and her varied travels informed her practice throughout her career. The Monterey Bay work featured in Bonhams’ sale was painted in the late 1920s, shortly after Fortune had returned from a long sojourn to Europe, where she lived in St Ives and St Tropez and was hugely influenced by the avant-garde movements tearing through the continent.

There were strong results elsewhere in the sale, with Woods Cove, Laguna by Guy Rose – another celebrated Californian Impressionist – selling for $217,500. Rose is known for his atmospheric subtlety, varied brushwork and mastery of color. Edgar Payne’s Riding through the Canyon sold for $187,500. The sweeping, immense view of the sandstone cliffs of the American west demonstrates Payne’s powers as a master of composition and color and was naturally a hit among bidders.

The auction achieved a sell-through rate of 87% by value. Scot Levitt, Director of California and Western Art, said, “We are delighted to be the pioneering auction house to showcase these fine works of Californian Impressionism. The auction saw good results across the board, but these works by Fortune, Rose, and Payne were the stars of the show, and the enthusiastic response from buyers is testimony to that.”