MILFORD, Conn. – Just over 250 American and European paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures – to include original oil paintings by Henri Le Sidaner, Frederick Carl Frieseke and LeRoy Neiman – will come up for bid at Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers on Thursday, May 1st, in Shannon’s gallery located at 354 Woodmont Road in Milford, starting at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

A major artwork by the French Impressionist painter Henri Le Sidaner (1862-1939), titled Le Moulin et la Maison, Montreuil-Bellay (1916), could very well be the top lot of the auction, with a pre-sale estimate of $300,00-$500,000. The signed work, showing boats on the water against a backdrop of sky and houses, came from the artist’s dealer in 1917 and has been widely exhibited.

“Our May 1st auction will kick off the spring season with some very special offerings at many different price points,” said Gene Shannon of Shannons’s Fine Art Auctioneers. “We have wonderful high-end pieces that will appeal to the seasoned art collector, as well as works by lesser known and up-and-coming artists that the young collector will be able to buy for a reasonable price.”

A lovely figural painting by Frederick Carl Frieseke (Am., 1874-1939), titled The Rose Gown (1915), is expected to garner $250,000-$350,000. The work comes out of a private Midwestern collection and was previously exhibited at the National Academy of Design.  The 32 inch by 32 inch painting shows a lady in a rose-colored gown, holding a mirror and clutching her necklace.

Four paintings will be offered by LeRoy Neiman (Am., 1921-2012), whose brilliantly colored, impressionistic renderings of sporting events and the international high life made him one of this country’s most popular artists. One in particular – an early, 1958 work showing a confluence of Las Vegas roulette wheels titled The Gambling Set, should change hands for $150,000-$250,000.

The Hudson River School will be well represented, with Jasper Cropsey’s 1894 work View of the Palisades on the Hudson (est. $60,000-$80,000); three works by Alfred Thompson Bircher (Am., 1837-1908); Worthington Whittredge’s 1869 View of the Catskills (est. $40,000-$60,000); and Thomas Doughty’s Desert Rock Lighthouse, Maine (est. $40,000-$60,000).

Other Hudson River School paintings will feature John Frederick Kensett’s Herding the Sheep by a River; William Trost Richards’s Stormy Day; renderings of Niagara Falls by Ferdinand Richardt; and William Rickarby Miller; plus works by Edward Moran, William Bradford, Henry Ary and John Williamson.

New York scenes are a big hit with collectors. One, by Paul Cornoyer (Am., 1864-1923), titled Rainy Day, New York, is a large oil painting with horse carriages and pedestrians (est. $50,000-$75,000). Contemporary artist Lawrence Campbell is represented with Wall Street (est. $40,000-$60,000), Parade on Fifth Avenue, Broadway North From 78th and The Boat Pond-Central Park.

Headlining the Modernism category is a very powerful 1974 work by Victor Vasarely (Fr., 1906-1997), titled Stri-Arc (est. $30,000-$50,000). Also offered will be Paul Thek’s Red Forms (est. $20,000-$30,000); Karel Appel’s Leaping Animal (est. $20,000-$30,000); an untitled oil by Theodore Stamos (est. $12,000-$18,000); and Jules Olitsky’s Revelation (est. $15,000-$25,000).

No less important in the Modernism category is a collection of five works by Blanche Lazzell (Am., 1878-1956). These were descended in the artist’s family to the present and include a woodblock print of Provincetown Studios (est. $20,000-$30,000) and two Cubist-influenced oils from the 1920s. Also from the category is Gerome Kamrowski’s Cluster (est. $25,000-$35,000).

The sale will feature works from a variety of different schools. Examples include John George Brown’s Girl With Doll (est. $50,000-$70,000); Theodore Butler’s Artistic Reverie (est. $50,000-$75,000); Emil Carlsen’s Chrysanthemums (est. $40,000-$60,000); Dale Nichols’s Western Winter (est. $20,000-$30,000) and Gari Melchers Still Life With Flowers (est. $15,000-$25,000).

Fresh from a local collection are a pair of rare works by Ludwig Bemelmans (Am., 1898-1962), both pictured in the book Madeline in London and each estimated to bring $30,000-$50,000. Rounding out the sale are two important works by the contemporary still life artist Jenness Cortez (Am., b. 1944), Da Vinci’s Bookcase and Rothko’s Lilacs (each est. $30,000-$50,000).

Previews will be held daily starting Monday, April 21st, and run through auction day, May 1st (except on Sunday, April 27th when Shannon's is closed). Preview hours are 11-6 (EST), except April 30th (noon to 7 p.m.) and May 1st, auction day (noon to 5:30 p.m.). Online bidding will be facilitated by Invaluable.com (formerly Artfact.com). Phone and absentee bids will also be taken.

Historically, Shannon’s has specialized in American and European art executed between 1840 and 1940. In recent years the firm has expanded more into post-war modern and pop art. Shannon’s produces an extensive 164-page, color catalog, which is available for sale on their website (www.shannons.com).

Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single piece of artwork, an estate or an entire collection, you may call them at (203) 877-1711; or, you can e-mail them at info@shannons.com. To learn more about Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers and the upcoming May 1st fine art auction, please log on to www.shannons.com.

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