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Gertrude Abercrombie painting sells for $1.35 million
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2026-10-05 10:58 UTC → 2026-10-05 11:51 UTC ·
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The painting ‘Alderman Merriam’s Shells’ (1951), originally purchased for $30 at a Michigan estate sale, has sold at auction in Manhattan for $1.35 million. Identified as an authentic work by American surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie, the 8-by-11-inch still-life depicts ten seashells and had remained unseen in public for nearly 75 years. The discovery occurred when an anonymous collector of mid-century items noticed a barely visible signature signature, ‘Abercrombie, ’51’, while browsing a hallway during a July estate sale. Authentication followed the collector’s identification of the work via a 1952 news clipping found in a Milwaukee Art Museum exhibition catalogue. The piece was further authenticated by art history professor Susan Weininger. Provenance research indicates the painting was originally gifted by Abercrombie to a doctor in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in exchange for medical services, before being passed through the doctor’s estate. The piece was sold by Freeman’s auction house, far exceeding its initial estimated value of $150,000 to $250,000.
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- 2026-10-05 11:51 UTC Gertrude Abercrombie painting sells for $1.35 million
- 2026-10-05 10:58 UTC Gertrude Abercrombie painting sells for $1.35 million
- 2026-09-30 22:05 UTC Discovery and auction of Gertrude Abercrombie painting
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