Shannon's Fine Art Auctioneers announces a major sale of fine American and European paintings and sculpture, to be held on October 28th, 2010 at 6pm in Shannon's Milford, Connecticut gallery. Prominent artists to be offered include William M. Harnett, Kees Van Dongen, Andrew Wyeth, Jasper Cropsey, Sanford Robinson Gifford, Charles Courtney Curran, and many more.

The sale includes an array of landmark paintings. Leading this group is William M. Harnett's celebrated trompe l'oeil still life, The Golden Horseshoe, his most famous and frequently exhibited painting. The Harnett is accompanied by The Card Players by Eastman Johnson, one of two paintings the artist exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1854 upon his return from The Hague, and Jasper Francis Cropsey's On the Susquehanna River, a panoramic view of one of his most important subjects. Other significant 19th century works include an intimate Italian scene by Sanford Robinson Gifford, a glowing seascape by Alfred Thompson Bricher, and a pair of early New Haven views by George Henry Durrie.

Shannon's sale also includes a number of exceptional Impressionist fin de siècle portraits of women. First among them is John White Alexander's Jessie Steele, Reading, a fluid, compositionally masterful profile of a young house servant. Also of note is Charles Courtney Curran's Memories, a rich emotional tapestry that juxtaposes its lovely subject with elements of still life. Lastly, White Asters by Albert Herter, likely featuring his wife, Adele, demonstrates the artist's early mastery of the female figure.

Kees Van Dongen's Fauvist-influenced still life, Vase de Chrysanthemes devant une vue de Montmarte (1920), is one of the leading European paintings in the sale. Van Dongen, the steward of the Fauvist movement, painted florals for his own enjoyment and their relative quiet stands in contrast to his raucous society portraits of the same period.

Shannon's continues its commitment to modernism, post-war and late expressionism, and contemporary work. Norman Bluhm's critical 1960 ab-ex statement of liberation, Untitled, is particularly compelling, as is Werner Drewes' pre-war Composition 132. A figural work, Suzanne Nacht, by Ranier Fetting is an electric exploration of feminine allure. Rolph Scarlett's Untitled is a masterpiece sure to excite Scarlett collectors around the world.

Andrew Wyeth's 1994 watercolor, Bird Bath stands as one of the last great 20th century masterpieces offered in the sale. The view is of a pond on the coast of Maine's Benner Island, owned by the Wyeth family. Also in the sale is a figure study of Andy Warhol by Jamie Wyeth, along with an exceptional drawing by N. C. Wyeth.

Chief Mahaska (White Cloud) by Sherry Edmondson Fry headlines a collection of over twenty western bronzes, including work by Cyrus Dallin and Carl Kauba.

Other notable American artists offered in the sale are Otis Kaye, John Francis, John Henry Twachtman, Thomas Hill, Jules Tavernier, and more. Additional European artists include Charles Leickert, Luigi Loir, Andre Derain, Pierre Bonnard, Luigi Chialiva, Emilio Sanchez-Perrier, and Clement Pujol de Gustavino.

Please visit Shannon's website, www.shannons.com, for additional information.