BOSTON — An unframed, unstretched oil on canvas from Norman Wilfred Lewis (American, 1909-1979) sold at Skinner’s September 26 American and European Works of Art sale for $183,000. The 38-by-56-inch work dated to 1966 and was estimated at $10,000. It was consigned from a private Massachusetts collection. Lewis helped form the artist collective Spiral, which took focus of the African American artist’s role in the Civil Rights Movement and the art world in general. Other figures in the group included Romare Bearden, Felrath Hines and Hale Woodruff. This painting was executed in the year that Spiral disbanded.

Other works in the sale hailed from the collection of the late maritime art dealer Justin Cobb. Watch for a report on those in a future issue.