New York – Christie’s is pleased to announce two sales of American Paintings taking place on 19 January at Christie’s Rockefeller Center: From Peale to Peto: American Masters from the Pollack Collection and 19th Century American Art. These two live auctions are part of Americana Week, which runs from 18-20 January.

19TH CENTURY AMERICAN ART

The sale is anchored by two noteworthy collections – Property from the May Family Collection and Property from a Southern Estate. The May Family Collection includes important works by Martin Johnson Heade, Alfred Jacob Miller, and Alfred Thompson Bricher. Property from a Southern Estate features important examples by William Merritt Chase and William J. McCloskey. The auction will also include an important Winslow Homer of the Adirondacks; historical Western art by Frederic Remington and Albert Bierstadt; a significant painting by J.G. Brown; and important works by Thomas Moran, James McNeil Whistler and Charles Ethan Porter.

FROM PEALE TO PETO: AMERICAN MASTERS FROM THE POLLACK COLLECTION

William Michael Harnett’s Lobster, Fruit, Champagne and Newspaper is a highlight of a strong set of still-life offerings, alongside works by John Frederick Peto and John Francis. The collection notably features multiple examples from the celebrated Peale family — including an important Charles Peale Polk portrait of George Washington and still lifes by Raphaelle Peale, James Peale, Sarah Miriam Peale and Titian Ramsay Peale. The sale also includes portraiture by John Singleton Copley and Thomas Sully, as well as maritime paintings by Fitz Henry Lane and James Edward Buttersworth. Daniel A. Pollack (1939-2019), was an avid collector and connoisseur of early American still life and portraiture. With a keen eye for quality, he thoughtfully assembled his collection over three decades, featuring some of the brightest names in these artistic traditions. For more than a decade, he served as the chair of the American Arts Committee of the Harvard Art Museums, where he was a longstanding supporter and to which his collection of early American silver was donated