Shannon's Fine Art Auctioneers

06/02/2026

A response to Kim Beil’s piece in The New York Times, 'What Did the Hudson River School Painters See?': Jasper Francis Cropsey

This article reflects on historians' and scientists' resistance to the idea of using paintings as objective documents, citing the Hudson River School paintings to prove “that some paintings could provide trustworthy information about shifts in biodiversity and forest complexity.”

The Hudson River School is a well-known American art movement founded by Thomas Cole. Jasper Francis Cropsey, a first-generation student of the Hudson River School, greatly admired the works of Thomas Cole. Through his paintings, he studied the influence of nature on man’s existence, a fundamental belief held by Hudson River School artists.

Cropsey was born in 1823, the son of a farmer. He was initially trained as an architect under Joseph Trench, who encouraged his interest in drawing and painting. His years as a practicing architect greatly influenced his work, blending the romantic ideals of untamed nature, patriotism, and bright color palettes with highly precise draftsmanship.

Cropsey was best known for his autumn landscapes that startled viewers with their boldness and brilliance. He believed landscapes were the highest art form and that nature was a direct manifestation of God.

In these paintings sold at Shannon’s over the years, you’ll see autumn in Greenwood Lake; the village surrounding it, described as the gateway to the Hudson Valley. Today, Greenwood Lake is protected and highly managed by environmentalists and conservationists. Perhaps Cropsey’s vivid portrayals of Greenwood Lake and its surrounding landscapes inspired the environmental protections we see today. His art didn’t just capture beauty; it awakened generations to the value of preservation.

05/27/2026

Shannon's must-haves estimated under $3,000. Our online June Fine Art Sale is less than one month away! Check out these incredible, affordable fine art works by Marion Ranyak, Charles Blondin, Alfred Thompson Bricher, Jean Salabet, and Howard Behrens up for auction starting June 18th.

05/26/2026

Shannon’s team had a great time at The Thread That Binds: Three Generations Of The Rembert Family Legacy, an exhibit at the Whitney Center in Hamden, CT, featuring works by Winfred Rembert Sr., Winfred Rembert Jr., and eight-year-old Nima Rembert. The exhibit is available for viewing through September 12th. Read more about the exhibit at: https://www.newhavenindependent.org/2026/05/25/the-rembert-gift-keeps-giving/

05/22/2026

Happy Birthday, Mary Cassatt, born today in 1844. Mary Cassatt was an American impressionist painter and print maker, best known for her images of the social and private lives of women, with a particular emphasis on the intimate bonds between mothers and children.

Cassatt achieved her greatest success in the depiction of maternity. She elevated the genre from the realm of the sentimental or anecdotal through a careful attention to naturalistic pose and gesture, to the exchange of gazes between mother and child, and with the use of animated brush strokes and bright tones.

Her mother, Katherine Cassatt, an educated and well-read woman had a profound influence Mary. Cassatt's lifelong friend Louisine Havemeyer wrote in her memoirs: "Anyone who had the privilege of knowing Mary Cassatt's mother would know at once that it was from her and her alone that [Mary] inherited her ability."

Check out these three works highlighting the bond between mother and child, that we’ve auctioned over the years.

Pictured:
The Stocking c. 1890
Drypoint

“Mother and Child”
Color collotype

The Crocheting Lesson c. 1902
Drypoint on pale blue laid paper

05/19/2026

Sandra and Ali had a wonderful time at The American Art Fair and The Art and Antique Dealers League of America Centennial Exhibition this weekend. They enjoyed seeing beautiful fine art and reconnecting with friends, including the artist behind Yost Conservation, one of our favorite colleagues.

05/15/2026

Today is the birthday of America’s best-known post-Abstract Expressionists and Minimalists, Jasper Johns. Johns had no formal art training when he created “Flag”, 1955, his most notable painting that was sold for a reported $110 million, becoming the most expensive artwork sold by a living artist at the time.
Much of his work features pictorial images of flags and numbers, and Pop-Art subjects, focusing on inter-relationships of color and shapes. His flag paintings are credited as key in the development of Minimal Art, a post-WWII movement that emphasizes extreme simplicity, geometric abstraction, and focuses on the artwork’s physical presence rather than emotional expression.

In the 1960s, he began working with lithographs, of which a few came through our doors, seen below. He was given several retrospectives, is represented in the world’s most prestigious institutions, and was recognized at the Venice Biennale in 1978 and in 1988, he was awarded the Grand Prix.

Since the 1990s, Johns has lived and worked in Sharon, Connecticut, where he plans to gift his estate to the town, to be used as an artists' retreat upon his death.

Featured:
“Face”
Color lithograph

Lands End II, 1979
Etching

Duck
Lithograph

“Feet” from Casts from Untitled, 1974
Color lithograph on paper

“Savarin 2”, Wash and Line
Lithograph

05/14/2026

Another great fine art event is happening in NYC starting today through the 18th.

AADLA Centennial Exhibition in New York
The Art and Antique Dealers League of America celebrates 100 years with a landmark exhibition in New York City.
Freeman’s Auctions, 32 E 67th St
May 14–18, 2026
Held alongside TEFAF New York


Join us for a special presentation bringing together exceptional works from our members, honoring a century of expertise, connoisseurship, and collaboration.

Freeman’s Auctions, founded in Philadelphia in 1805, brings its own storied history to this collaboration. The auction house’s New York City galleries provide an elegant and fitting setting for an exhibition of this significance. The partnership between the AADLA and Freeman’s reflects a shared commitment to connecting collectors with exceptional works of art and objects of historical importance.

Leonardo Gasser (Florence, 1831 –1892)
Two Sisters, 1876 (detail)
Oil on canvas
42 ½ x 52 inches (108 x 132.1 cm)
Signed and dated, upper left: L. Gasser 1876
Provenance:
Private Collection, New York.
Signed and dated, upper left: L. Gasser 1876



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05/14/2026

Check out this piece by Antiques And The Arts Weekly, Estimates Fall As Fine Art Soars At Shannon’s:

MILFORD, CONN. — Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers pulled out all the stops for its fine art auction on April 30. Bookending its compact but highly curated auction season with dedicated fine art auctions, Shannon’s put together a selection of historical paintings, fresh-to-market consignments and...

05/13/2026

Don’t miss The American Art Fair, May 16-19th in NYC! Hundreds of paintings, illustrations, and sculpture from 18 incredible vendors, including some of our favorite friends in the art world:

Adelson Galleries Palm Beach
Avery Galleries
D. Wigmore Fine Art, Inc.
Godel & Co. Fine Art, Inc.
Hawthorne Fine Art
Helicline Fine Art
Illustrated Gallery
Kiechel Fine Art
Questroyal Fine Art
Schwarz Gallery
Somerville Manning Gallery
Thomas Colville Fine Art
Vallarino Fine Art
Weinstein Gallery ..and more!

Stop by and see what they’ve been up to: theamericanartfair.com

05/11/2026

Happy to all mothers and mother figures! For centuries, fine art has captured the tender, intimate bond between mother and child. These paintings depict mothers nurturing their children in idealized, lush garden settings that embody gentleness, tenderness, and a love that transcends race, class, and time.

Featured:
George Hitchcock
Mother and Child in a Garden

Le Pho
Mother and Child in a Garden ("Le Femme et les Seringas")

Bernhard Gutmann
“Woman and Child by the Sea (Mallorca)”