Hans Hofmann work leads Freeman’s Modern Art auction Nov. 17

Hans Hofmann (American/German, 1880-1966), ‘Landscape no. 109,’ oil on panel, executed in 1943, 24 x 29 7/8in. Estimate: $150,000-$250,000. Freeman’s image

PHILADELPHIA — On Nov. 17, Freeman’s will hold its latest Modern & Contemporary Art auction. The sale includes several notable single-owner sections of important works from prominent collections, all of which are fresh to the market, including the market debut of Clyfford Still’s PH-491. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

The biannual Modern & Contemporary Art sale is an opportunity for seasoned and emerging collectors alike to consider works spanning the Modern period up to the present day. The November auction will have significant examples ranging from Modernism, Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art.

Freeman’s Modern & Contemporary Art department has earned a reputation for presenting exceptional works from a breadth of artists and movements. The department’s previous Modern & Contemporary Art auction in May of 2020, for example, offered pieces by Alex Katz, Henri Matisse, and Andy Warhol, among many others.

Leading the sale are significant works from the Abstract Expressionist movement, including an energetic and colorful painting by Hans Hofmann, Landscape No. 109 (above). Another excellent Abstract Expressionist work in the sale is Clyfford Still’s PH-491, which Freeman’s is proud to bring to the market for the first time. Though a vital element of the artist’s oeuvre, Still’s drawings were rarely shown during his lifetime and seldom appear in the marketplace.

Clyfford Still (American, 1904-1980, ‘PH-491,’ signed and dated 1943, oil on paper, 20 x 13in., unframed. Estimate: $50,000-$80,000. Freeman’s image

As part of the sale, Freeman’s will present works from the prestigious collection of Gates and Eleanor “Lallie” Biddle Lloyd.

Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976), untitled, ink and watercolor on paper, 22½ x 16 in. Estimate: $50,000-$80,000. Freeman’s image

Pieces by Philadelphia’s own Alexander Calder and an important double-figure sculpture by British Modernist Lynn Chadwick will come to the market for the first time in decades.