Bonhams' California and Western Art Auction sets Seven New World Records

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Press Release August 8, 2019

Courtesy Bonhams

Joseph Raphael (1869-1950), Tea in the Orchard, oil on canvas. Painted circa 1916. Price realized: $548,075. WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR THE ARTIST.

Los Angeles- The August 6 sale of California and Western Paintings and Sculpture achieved seven world auction records for artists including Joseph Raphael, Chester Beach, Barbara Beretich, Charles Griffin Farr, Raimondo Puccinelli, Po-Pin Lin, and Francis Sinnett. The top lot of the sale was Joseph Raphael’s exceptional painting of Tea in the Orchard, which realized $548,075. Painted circa 1916, this work is considered one of Raphael's best post-Impressionistic paintings. The work also has the distinguished provenance of having been gifted to the San Francisco Museum of Art by the avant-garde collector Albert M. Bender. The 173-lot sale achieved a total of $2,362,193 was sold 75% by lot and 87% by value.

courtesy bonhams

August Gay, Fishing Boat Aground, painted circa 1930, sold for $87,575 (estimate: $60,000-80,000)

Scot Levitt, Bonhams Director of Fine Art, said: “The new record achieved for Raphael was certainly a highlight this evening. This was a superb painting and one of the finest works by the artist to ever appear at auction. After competitive bidding in the auction room, the work finally sold to a client online."

Other highlights from the sale included:

August Gay's Fishing Boat Aground, painted circa 1930, sold for $87,575 (estimate: $60,000-80,000)
Granville Redmond’s Sunset on the Pond sold for $75,075 (estimate: $20,000- 30,000)
Thomas Hill’s Yosemite Valley (El Capitan and Bridal Veil Falls), painted circa 1874, sold for $68,825 (estimate: $25,000-45,000)