Rockwell Kent (American, 1882-1971), “Polar Expedition,” 1944, oil on canvas, 34 by 44 inches, doubled the previous auction record for the artist when it sold at  $605,000.

Joseph Christian Leyendecker (American, 1874-1951), “Thanksgiving, 1628-1928: 300 Years (Pilgrim and Football Player),” The Saturday Evening Post cover, November 24, 1928, oil on canvas, 28 1/4 by 21 inches, lead the illustration art auction and broke the artist’s record when it realized $365,000.

DALLAS, TEXAS — Art auctions at Heritage Auctions on May 1 and 2 ended with over $7.8 million in total sales, 15 artists’ records shattered and record crowds of bidders.

Joseph Christian Leyendecker’s “Thanksgiving, 1628-1928: 300 Years Pilgrim and Football Player,” one of his finest of Saturday Evening Post covers — paying homage to the holiday’s evolution over three centuries through his playful and fantastical style — set a record when it sold for $365,000.

Then Rockwell Kent’s “Polar Expedition,” 1944 oil on canvas, doubled the artist’s previous auction record when it realized $605,000; “The White Gate,” 1919, by Victor Higgins, sold for $461,000; and “Taos Indian Chief,” by Ernest Leonard Blumenschein finished at $389,000. Theses masterpieces of Western Art were presented as part of the Judson C. & Nancy Sue Ball collection of fine art.

A bidding war broke out over Nicolai Fechin’s Taos “Peasant Girl,” in its auction debut as 14 bidders pushed the sale price to $317,000, more than three times the artwork’s estimate.

All prices given include the buyer’s premium. Watch for a full review of the weekend auctions in a future issue of Antiques and the Arts Weekly.