NEW YORK CITY – Depicting colorful sailboats and working fishermen, “Decoration,” a marine scene by Armin Hansen (1886-1957), led Christie’s American art regatta on September 22. The circa 1930 oil brought $509,000 in what appears to be a new auction high for the California Impressionist. Associated with the Monterey colony, Hansen was born in San Francisco and is especially admired for his views of the northern California coast. The 103-lot session, a prelude to Christie’s big November auction of American art, tallied just over $4 million.
