A quilt by Faith Ringgold, the first quilt by the African-American artist ever to hit the auction market, brought $461,000 at Swann Galleries in New York on Sept. 15.

The quilt led an auction totalling $1.3 million for 50 artworks from famed writer and activist Maya Angelou's estate. Ringgold's "Maya's Quilt of Life" depicts Angelou surrounded by flowers and excerpts from her writings, such as "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Oprah Winfrey gave Angleou the work as a 61st birthday gift. It had a pre-sale estimate of $150,000 to $250,000.

Another work drumming up bidder interest was a Ghanaian market scene by African-American muralist John Biggers, which sold for an artist auction record of $389,000, well above the $100,000 to $150,000 estimate.

Romare Bearden's watercolor "The Obeah's Choice," depicting two African-Caribbean women, fetched  $87,500 from an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.

Angelou's son, Guy Johnson, wrote in the auction catalog introduction that "her family hopes that the art which added color and character to her daily life does the same for others."

Editor's Note:

On Sept. 17, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, in Bentonville, Ark., announced that it has acquired the Ringgold quilt.