The 8‑by‑11‑inch canvas that earned $1.35 million was first acquired for $30 at a Kalamazoo estate sale in August 2025.
The buyer, a longtime collector of mid‑century Chicago art, spotted the signature of Gertrude Abercrombie in a dim hallway and immediately understood its value.
He altered his family holiday plans to visit Milwaukee, where the 1952 exhibition catalogue of "The Whole World Is a Mystery" revealed a Chicago Tribune photograph of the painting in its original frame.
Dr Susan Weininger, emerita professor of art history at Roosevelt University and leading Abercrombie scholar, authenticated the work after comparing the photograph with the canvas, confirming it was indeed the artist’s creation.
Freeman's auction house set a reserve of $150,000 to $250,000, attracting five phone bidders and several online participants; the final hammer price was $1,060,000, with a buyer’s premium raising the total to $1,352,600.
Zack Wirsum, senior vice president of Post‑War & Contemporary Art at Freeman's, said, "This sale underscores the renewed interest in Abercrombie’s oeuvre and establishes a new benchmark for her market value."
The painting’s 75‑year absence from public view ends, and its record price redefines the valuation of Gertrude Abercrombie’s work, prompting collectors and dealers to reassess her catalogues.