PHILADELPHIA – “Piney Rest Motel (Cozy Rest Motel),” an 18-by-17-inch oil and pencil on canvas by Norman Rockwell (American, 1894-1978) sold for $478,800 at Freeman’s June 6 American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists sale.

The 1950s work was used as an advertisement for the Famous Artists School, which offered self-help art courses via mail correspondence for aspiring artists. Among the instructors at the school was Rockwell, who proved the most popular faculty member among all enrolled students.

In the catalog listing, Freeman’s describes the scene thus, “The present work appears to be a pivotal version of an intensely researched subject, which Rockwell explored and diversified via numerous color sketches before eventually settling on ‘the correct solution.’ The scene take places in the early hours of the morning at a motel, Cozy Rest or Piney Rest according to the many versions, and shows a family about to depart. While the mother and children are shown packing the car in the background, the patriarch is asking for directions from the manager of the complex in the foreground.”

Rockwell had gifted the work to the family of the consignor.

Watch for a full review of this sale in a future issue.