Twenty Wyeth paintings from the estate of one of L.L. Bean's granddaughters are set to go up for auction Tuesday.
The collection from Linda Bean is valued at more than $3 million and is part of a larger auction, American Art, by Bonhams in New York. It includes paintings and illustrations by Andrew Wyeth, his son Jamie Wyeth and his father, the illustrator N.C. Wyeth.
Also part of the auction is Norman Rockwell's 1940 painting, “A Scout is Loyal,” depicting a boy scout in front of a flag, an eagle, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. The painting is not part of Bean's collection and is being offered by an unnamed collector. It is expected to fetch between $3 million and $5 million, according to a spokesperson for the auction house.
Bean, who died in March at age 82, was a Maine businesswoman, philanthropist and activist for conservative causes.
She was one of two granddaughters of Leon Leonwood Bean, who founded the outdoor goods retailer L.L. Bean in 1912 in Freeport, Maine. Linda Bean served on the company’s board for nearly half a century. She also bought lobster dealerships, founded Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Lobster brand and owned other businesses on Maine’s coast, where she lived in Port Clyde.
The Wyeth family famously has ties to Maine. Andrew Wyeth painted his 1948 masterpiece “Christina’s World” in nearby Cushing. His grandfather, N.C. Wyeth, had a home in Port Clyde. The auction also is set to include artwork from five other Wyeth family members.
