The work, titled “Alderman Merriam’s Shells,” surfaced when an unnamed collector spotted the signature “Abercrombie, ’51” in the lower‑left corner of a thrifted canvas purchased at a Michigan estate sale this summer.
The collector later visited the touring exhibition “Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery” at the Milwaukee Art Museum and was startled to see the same painting, still in its original frame, featured in the show’s catalog.
Roosevelt University art historian Susan Weininger, recognized as an expert on Abercrombie, authenticated the piece, confirming it as a genuine work by the artist who died in 1977 at age 68.
The buyer, who describes themselves as a “longtime hunter of record albums and mid‑century furniture,” contacted Freeman’s Auctions, the sponsor of the exhibition, to arrange a sale.
Freeman’s will present the painting at its Upper East Side location in the “Post‑War & Contemporary Art” auction scheduled for Oct. 1, with a pre‑auction estimate ranging from $30 to $250,000.
The canvas depicts nine seashells that once belonged to Robert Merriam, a former Chicago alderman representing Hyde Park, where Abercrombie lived and worked during the mid‑20th century.
Senior Vice President Zack Wirsum of Freeman’s said the shells are “alluringly awkward and seemingly lonely in a crowd, much like Abercrombie herself,” adding that the rediscovery underscores how works by the artist can still emerge from estate sales.
If sold at the high end of the estimate, the painting would illustrate the dramatic appreciation possible for overlooked mid‑century American art when authenticated and placed in a prominent auction setting.