OAKLAND, CALIF. — The excitement was palpable at Clars Auction Gallery on September 15 when a double-sided charcoal on paper illustration by Norman Rockwell (American, 1894-1978), came to the block with an estimate of $70/100,000. Multiple bidders lined up for “Study – Crestwood Commuter Station” (for cover illustration, Saturday Evening Post, November 16, 1946) and “Portrait of an Equestrian Gentleman” (verso), circa 1946, and the bidding was fast and furious with phone bids from across the country ending only when the 21½-by 20-inch work reached $242,000. From a prominent estate in Menlo Park, California, the lot was accompanied by a framed copy of the final cover illustration for the Saturday Evening Post (November 16, 1946), and, according to Clars’ vice president and director of fine art Rick Unruh, “[We] were quite ecstatic about the outcome as was the consignor.” For more information, 510-428-0100 or www.clars.com.
