The auction will be held online and live in the Grant Zahajko gallery located at 510 Morgan Street in Davenport, Washington, starting at 9am Pacific time. Nearly 300 lots will be offered. Internet bidding will be available on multiple platforms.
DAVENPORT, Wash. – An outstanding single-owner collection of artworks dedicated entirely to renowned American artist and illustrator Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) will come up for bid in an auction planned for Wednesday, September 24th, by Grant Zahajko Auctions, online and live in the gallery at 510 Morgan Street in Davenport, starting at 9am Pacific time.
The auction is officially titled Maxfield Parrish: Artist & Illustrator, Celebrating a Career!
Maxfield Parrish was active in the first half of the 20th century. His works featured distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. His career helped shape the Golden Age of illustration and American visual arts. In his storied career he produced almost 900 pieces of art, including calendars, greeting cards and magazine covers.
“After 47 years of discerningly collecting items relating to Maxfield Parrish, one of the more serious collectors of the artist has decided to auction his collection amassed over almost half a century,” said Grant Zahajko of Grant Zahajko Auctions. “This collection includes an original Maxfield Parrish that was shown twice at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts.”
Mr. Zahajko added the auction – totaling just under 300 lots – includes “some of the rarest Parrish prints in existence, high grade examples with vibrant, original colors, a very large calendar collection, rare and top condition Parrish illustrated books, sketches, signed checks, advertising items, letters, Parrish prints in the best condition that you’ll find and much more.”
The sale’s expected headliner is lot #17, an original mixed media (pencil, watercolor and cut-out) study titled The Knave Watched Violetta Depart, dated 1910-1912. The study is known to have been owned by one of the artist’s neighbors in Plainfield, N.H. It was given to him by Parrish because the neighbor had expressed an interest in it. It should bring $25,000-$35,000.
“Mr. Parrish considered his studies worthless, and he often burned them,” Zahajko said. “If someone expressed an interest in them, he would give them away.” This study was exhibited in the Norman Rockwell Museum twice, including the Keepers of the Flame: Parrish, Wyeth, Rockwell and Narrative Tradition exhibition. Papers, letters, photos and a book are included.
A preview will be held live at the Davenport gallery on Tuesday, September 23rd, from 1pm to 5pm Pacific time, or online via appointment on Zoom. To schedule an appointment, call 509-725-5600; or, you can send an email to info@gzauctions.com. To learn more, visit https://bid.gzauctions.com. Updates are posted often.
