A $30 purchase at a Michigan estate sale has turned into an extraordinary art discovery, after a collector realized a small painting found in a hallway could be an original work by renowned American surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie.
The anonymous buyer spotted the slate-gray artwork among items at the July sale and was immediately drawn to a signature in the lower-left corner reading “Abercrombie, ’51.”
That detail prompted the collector to investigate further, eventually leading experts to confirm that the painting was an authentic Abercrombie work.
Painting Could Sell for Up to $250,000
The painting, titled Alderman Merriam’s Shells, was created in 1951 during one of Abercrombie’s most productive periods.
The artwork is now scheduled to go under the hammer in New York on October 1, with an estimated selling price of between $150,000 and $250,000.
That means the collector’s modest $30 investment could potentially turn into a six-figure windfall.
Collector Found Clues at Milwaukee Exhibition
The discovery became even more compelling when the collector took the painting to the Milwaukee Art Museum while on vacation with family.
At the time, the museum was hosting a nationally touring retrospective titled Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery.
While examining the exhibition catalogue, the collector discovered an archival photograph of the same 8-by-11-inch painting. The image had previously appeared in a Chicago Tribune review of Abercrombie’s 1952 exhibition.
That evidence helped establish a connection between the seemingly forgotten estate-sale painting and Abercrombie’s documented body of work.
Art Historian Confirms the Painting
The collector subsequently contacted Susan Weininger, an art historian at Roosevelt University, who examined the work and confirmed that it was an original Abercrombie painting.
The piece was then consigned to Freeman’s Auction, which had sponsored the Milwaukee exhibition.
It will be offered as part of the auction house’s Post-War & Contemporary Art sale at its Upper East Side location.
Artwork Has a Remarkable 75-Year History
The painting’s journey is almost as unusual as its discovery.
Abercrombie originally gave the artwork to John Reynolds, a doctor in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in exchange for a medical procedure.
The painting subsequently remained with Reynolds’ family for approximately 75 years before eventually appearing in the estate sale this summer.
The artwork depicts a collection of seashells against a slate-gray and black background. The shells belonged to Robert Merriam, who served as an alderman on the Chicago City Council between 1947 and 1955.
Merriam represented Hyde Park, the Chicago neighborhood where Abercrombie lived and worked.
Shells Played a Role in Abercrombie’s Artistic World
The subject matter also fits into Abercrombie’s artistic interests during the early 1950s.
Freeman’s said her fascination with shells may have been influenced by her friend John Wilde, a Wisconsin-born figurative artist whose work also incorporated surreal elements.
Zack Wirsum, senior vice president at Freeman’s, described the painting as an important example of Abercrombie’s work from a particularly productive period.
He noted the contrast between the realism of the objects and the magical qualities associated with the artist’s style.
‘Lost’ Masterwork Re-Emerges After Decades
Wirsum said the discovery was particularly striking because he had only recently told visitors during an exhibition tour that Abercrombie paintings could occasionally still emerge at estate sales.
He said he did not expect one of those discoveries to happen less than a month later.
The auction house now sees the painting as a significant rediscovery and will oversee its transition into the next stage of its history.
Abercrombie’s Work Is Enjoying Renewed Attention
Abercrombie died in 1977 at the age of 68, but interest in her work has increased substantially in recent years.
Thomas Busciglio-Ritter, curator of American art at the Milwaukee Art Museum, said audiences appear particularly drawn to the unusual and deeply personal qualities of her paintings.
Her work was created with considerable discipline, partly because she was concerned about financial security.
Alderman Merriam’s Shells was exhibited multiple times between 1952 and 1953 in Chicago, New York and Milwaukee. At the time, it was often priced between $50 and $150.
Decades later, the painting that once changed hands for a relatively modest sum could now command as much as $250,000 — turning an overlooked hallway find into one of the year’s most remarkable estate-sale discoveries.
