PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release September 13, 2011 Contact: Eric Winkler +1-212-497-9700 ext. 144 EWinkler@artnet.com artnet Auctions presents the American Art Sale artnet Auctions is currently offering important paintings, drawings, prints, and design by 19th and 20th century American artists for sale, featuring the 1943 painting Wine for Rita by Thomas Hart Benton. Thomas Hart Benton Wine for Rita, 1943 7.25 x 5.3 in. Est. US$120,000–180,000 New York / Berlin / Paris, September 13, 2011—artnet Auctions announces the American Art Sale, an important selection of late 19th and early 20th century works by masters of their craft including paintings, drawings, prints, and design by Thomas Hart Benton, Percy Gray, George Bellows, Allen Tucker, John Henry Twachtman, and Sam Maloof. Two vibrant highlights of the sale are paintings by Thomas Hart Benton acquired from close friends of the Benton family. Both mid-career works by the regionalist artist, Wine for Rita (Est. US$120,000–180,000) depicts the radiance of a well-crafted still life, while Eleuthera (Est. US$150,000–200,000) personalizes the Benton family on a trip to an island getaway. Also featured are four watercolors by the Californian landscape artist Percy Gray commissioned by the Academy Award–winning screenwriter Frances Marion (estimates range from US$12,000 to US$25,000). Marion was one of the most respected and highest paid scriptwriters during the early days of Hollywood and became Gray’s benefactor in the 1930s. John Henry Twachtman’s concisely drawn pastel Red House Pelham Lane, Branchville, CT (Est. US$30,000–40,000) captures the important period in the artist’s work after he shifted to impressionistic techniques. A number of lithographs and etchings by Thomas Hart Benton, Robert Riggs, Armin Landeck, Howard Cook, John Sloan, and others are also represented ranging from US$1,500 to US$9,000. The sale also features important examples of the American Studio movement in design, with works by craftsmen and designers, such as George Nakashima, Harry Bertoia, Sam Maloof, and Dale Chihuly. Highlights include Sam Maloof’s rare and important Cherry Rocking Chair, one of only two in cherry wood known to have been made (Est. US$40,000–60,000). The American Art Sale is currently live for bidding on artnet Auctions until September 20, 2011. For more information, please contact Eric Winkler at +1-212-497-9700 Ext. 144 or at EWinkler@artnet.com. Visit the sale on artnet Auctions: www.artnet.com/auctions/american-art. About artnet: With 24/7 worldwide bidding, artnet Auctions is the world’s first and only online auction platform to buy and sell Modern and Contemporary fine art, prints, photographs, and design. artnet has been online since 1995 and is host to approximately 2 million visitors each month. Through its Price Database of all auction sales results and artnet Galleries of all leading art galleries worldwide, artnet is the leading online resource for the international art market. www.artnet.com | www.artnet.de | www.artnet.fr Artnet Worldwide Corporation, 61 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10006-2701, USA