Freeman's auction house in New York pulled the rug from the art world when Gertrude Abercrombie’s 1951 painting 'Alderman Merriam's Shells' fetched $1,352,600 on Oct 1, 2026, setting a new world record for the Chicago surrealist.
The painting had vanished from public view in the 1950s, reemerging only this summer after a Michigan estate sale. A collector, drawn by the tiny 8‑by‑11‑inch canvas, paid $30 and later matched its signature to an Abercrombie catalog entry from the Milwaukee Art Museum’s 2026 retrospective.
Dr. Susan Weininger of Roosevelt University authenticated the work after comparing it to a 1952 Chicago Tribune photograph that showed the same shell arrangement. The piece had originally been given to Dr. John Reynolds of Kalamazoo in exchange for medical treatment, and it stayed within his family for decades.
At the auction, the painting opened at $80,000, drew five telephone bidders and several online participants, and closed at a hammer price of $1.06 million plus a buyer’s premium. The sale also saw 88% of lots sold, 23% of buyers new to Freeman's, and a total lot value of $3,449,560.
Abercrombie’s work has long been a cult favorite in Chicago’s Hyde Park, yet it only recently entered the national spotlight. This record sale confirms her growing market demand and may prompt museums to reassess the value of her privately held pieces.