European Decorative Arts, New York City.

NEW YORK CITY – In a crowded salesroom on December 3, Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg conducted a sale of American art that fetched $11,587,421, with 87 percent sold. Included were some works from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection; that collection alone brought $8,707,402.

Francesca von Halsburg commented after the sale, “The proceeds from this auction will go to a Foundation for Contemporary Art that I have just founded for site-specific Twenty-First Century art. The foundation will be housed on an island near Dubrovnik and will exist to encourage emerging talent.”

Max Weber’s high-voltage Cubist masterpiece of New York from 1913 brought competition from no fewer than five bidders, who pushed the price to $1.7 million, establishing a new record for the artist.

Thomas Moran’s “Badlands of the Dakota,” 1901, shot to $999,500 and a 1911 depiction of Native Americans in snowy mountain landscape by Henry F. Farny brought $898,500, well over its estimate of $500/700,000.

Charles Deas’ “Winnebago’s Playing Checkers” from 1842 brought $724,500, far surpassing the artist’s previous record of $310,500.

In all, 12 new records were established in the American art field.