3 days ago
Forgotten Abercrombie Painting Bought for $30 Sells for $1.35 Million
A painting of ten seashells was made by Gertrude Abercrombie in 1951.
She gave it to a doctor instead of selling it.
Years later, it ended up at an estate sale, where a buyer noticed the artist’s signature in a dark hallway.
The buyer paid just $30 for it.
An art expert confirmed that Abercrombie had painted it.
A restorer cleaned it and said it was in very good condition.
The painting was expected to sell for much less than it did.
At auction, it sold for $1.35 million, a record for Abercrombie’s work.
A buyer found “Alderman Merriam’s Shells” in a dark hallway during a July estate sale and paid $30 for it.
The 1951 painting depicts ten seashells, a recurring subject in Gertrude Abercrombie’s work.
Abercrombie had given the painting to a Kalamazoo doctor in exchange for medical services; it later passed through the doctor’s estate.
After Susan Weininger authenticated it, restorer Julian Baumgartner cleaned the work, which remained in its original frame.
Freeman’s estimated it at $150,000 to $250,000, but it sold for $1.35 million, setting a new auction record for Abercrombie.
- Who
- Gertrude Abercrombie painted the work; an unnamed buyer purchased it, and Freeman’s auctioned it.
- What
- “Alderman Merriam’s Shells” sold for $1.35 million, setting a new auction record for Abercrombie.
- Where
- The painting was found at an estate sale; it had previously been given to a doctor in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
- When
- The painting was made in 1951 and was discovered at a July estate sale; the sale year is not stated.
- Why
- The buyer spotted the painting’s barely visible signature; the articles do not state why the estate put it up for sale.
Key facts
- Artwork
- “Alderman Merriam’s Shells”
- Artist
- Gertrude Abercrombie
- Year painted
- 1951
- Estate-sale price
- $30
- Auction estimate
- $150,000 to $250,000
- Auction result
- $1.35 million
- Previous Abercrombie record
- “Message for Mercy” sold for $1.02 million at Sotheby’s in 2025.
Quotes
Julian Baumgartner
Art restorer who cleaned and restored the painting.
“It was drab, missing its life, but now cleaned, retouched, and revarnished, it’s alive and radiant.”
businesstoday.in
Sources
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