private treaty...norman rockwell “gee, thanks, brooks” baseball autograph (portrait of brooks...

NORMAN ROCKWELL “Gee, Thanks, Brooks” Baseball Autograph (Portrait of Brooks Robinson), 1971 Oil on Canvas | 37 x 27 inchesPrice Upon Request

P R I VAT ET R E A T Y

It was September 2006, and Brooks Robinson was holding court at a low table set in front of a

winding line of autograph seekers at the Maryland Science Center. The appearance was part of

a traveling exhibition of Rockwell artwork bearing the understated title, “Rockwell’s America,” a

celebration of the most iconic illustration artist of the twentieth century, and Robinson, as one of

Rockwell’s most famous subjects and owners, was simply along for the ride. For nearly five decades,

Rockwell had charmed a nation with his engaging studies of the American experience for The Sat-

urday Evening Post, his paintings both informed by the precepts of photorealism and his personal

belief that realism should not be the sole guiding ethic.

“I unconsciously decided that, even if it wasn’t an ideal world, it should be so and painted only the

ideal aspects of it—pictures in which there are no drunken slatterns or self-centered mothers,” the

artist explained. “Only foxy grandpas who played baseball with kids and boys who fished from logs

and got up circuses in the back yard.”

And so Brooks Robinson was a fitting subject for an artist who wished to see only the best in Ameri-

can life, a man whose supremacy at his profession was as unequivocal as his humility in the face

of adulation. As Robinson applied his boyish autograph to a stack of Rockwell lithographs bearing

his image, he sheepishly greeted several young men named Brooks—Maryland is full of them now.

A middle-aged lady confessed Robinson had been her first crush at age six, and that she kissed the

television screen every time he appeared as her brother howled at her to get out of the way. An

engaged couple reported that they would display the signed print at their wedding, and Robinson

assured them that, if he were owner of the Baltimore Orioles, he’d give them use of the ballpark

for the ceremony.

H E R I T A G E A U C T I O N S P R I V A T E T R E A T Y 1

One of the most decorated baseball stars of the post-war era, Brooks Robinson has opened his

enormous trophy case to the bidders of Heritage Auctions, supplying his extraordinary collection of 16

Gold Glove Awards, the 1964 American League MVP Award, a pair of World Championship rings, and

countless other symbols of excellence to a November 2015 auction. Robinson enjoys membership in

both the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown and the even more exclusive “All-Century Team” that

narrowed the elite brotherhood to just one hundred. Yet Robinson remains one of the most humble

and unassuming of American athletic icons, a man who refused to consider his millions of supporters

as “fans,” but rather as “friends.”

As such, Robinson proved the ideal subject for Norman Rockwell’s idealized view of American life, and

the kindness and humanity of this beloved baseball star shines through in this charming scene. Nearly

four decades after bidding farewell to a 22-year Major League career, Brooks Robinson continues

to enjoy the universal adoration that Rockwell deftly captures here, dedicating himself to a life of

philanthropy that further elevates him as one of the all-time greats of American sports.

“ The ’20s ended in an era of extravagance, sort of

like the one we’re in now. There was a big crash,

but then the country picked itself up again, and we

had some great years. Those were the days when

America believed in itself. I was happy and proud to

be painting it.” Norman Rockwell

2 H E R I T A G E A U C T I O N S P R I V A T E T R E A T Y H E R I T A G E A U C T I O N S P R I V A T E T R E A T Y 3

“There’s not a man who knows him who wouldn’t swear for his integrity and honesty and give

testimony to his consideration of others,” John Steadman once reported for The News American.

“He’s an extraordinary human being, which is important, and the world’s greatest third baseman of

all time, which is incidental.”

Certainly that has been the experience enjoyed by the staff of Heritage Auctions as we have worked

in partnership with the Hall of Fame third baseman to present “The Brooks Robinson Collection”

in the November 2015 Heritage Sports Collectibles Signature Auction. This artwork, one of the

most famous ever produced by Norman Rockwell, is the sole component thereof absent from that

auction format.

Rockwell was 76 years old when the painting was commissioned by Harry Figge in January 1971,

just weeks after Robinson had turned in one of the greatest World Series performances in history to

claim the MVP Award and his second World Championship ring in a half-decade. Figge

had been the owner of both Adirondack and Rawlings sporting goods companies, which

supplied the superstar third baseman with his bats and gloves respectively, and he was

anxious to absorb a few rays from Robinson’s high-wattage limelight. Figge sent Robinson

to Rockwell’s studio in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where the artist carefully sketched

and photographed the subject while the pair talked sports.

“ No man with a conscience can just bat out

illustrations. He’s got to put all his talent and

feeling into them!” Norman Rockwell

H E R I T A G E A U C T I O N S P R I V A T E T R E A T Y 5 4 H E R I T A G E A U C T I O N S P R I V A T E T R E A T Y

“I had a wonderful time with him,” Robinson said. “He was a very knowledgeable baseball fan.

I was surprised how much he knew. I saw a lot of things in his studio that I recognized from various

Saturday Evening Post covers.”

The work would come to be entitled, “Gee, Thanks, Brooks” Baseball Autograph (Portrait of Brooks

Robinson), effectively a caption for the red-headed youngster who beams as Robinson autographs

a baseball. While several of Rockwell’s most famous works pay homage to our National Pastime,

from “The Rookie” to “Game Called Because of Rain,” this work would prove to be the only one

to center its attention on a sole player. But Robinson is not the only famous figure present in the

image. “He put himself in the picture,” Robinson said of Rockwell. “Up in the right hand corner.

He has a cigar in his mouth.”

It wasn’t until nearly a quarter century after his visit to the Rockwell studio that Robinson himself

would become the owner of his famous portrait. Figge sold his company in 1994 and subsequently

sent a number of artworks to auction, among them “Gee Thanks, Brooks” Baseball Autograph

(Portrait of Brooks Robinson),” among them.

“I had been a little upset that Figge didn’t offer it to me,” Robinson admitted. “I certainly would

have paid whatever he wanted me to pay for it.” Instead, Robinson registered for a bidding paddle.

Robinson had instructed his wife to bid no more than $175,000 for the lot, but was pleased to learn

that he had been overruled by his spouse when the bid reach $190,000. “My wife said go up to

$200,000, and I got the painting.”

While this was an impressive price at the time, the two decades that have followed that sale have

seen a mighty surge in the market for leading illustration artists, with Heritage Auctions proudly

leading the charge. The most commonly cited Rockwell comparable—“The Rookie,” which

pictures Robinson’s fellow Hall of Fame enshrinee Ted Williams—commanded a sale price of

$22,565,000 in 2014. The world record auction price for Rockwell currently stands at $46,085,000

(“Saying Grace”, sold December 2013).

The oil on canvas creation measures 37 x 27 inches in size, quite large for Rockwell, and survives

in excellent condition. It is unlined, with little to no restoration. Some small areas of fluorescence

appear in the young fan’s left arm, and a tiny speck of paint loss about four inches to the right of

Rockwell’s signature.

“ You must first spend some time getting your model

to relax. Then you’ll get a natural expression.” Norman Rockwell

H E R I T A G E A U C T I O N S P R I V A T E T R E A T Y 7 6 H E R I T A G E A U C T I O N S P R I V A T E T R E A T Y

According to Laurie Norton Moffatt, “Five full-color oils were commissioned by ATO around 1970.

Each advertised a product manufactured by ATO’s subsidiary companies, including sporting goods

products, fire protection equipment, and construction equipment. These paintings are among the

last large color canvases executed by Norman Rockwell and are contemporaneous with the Top

Value Stamp works and some of the late Boy Scouts of America Calendars” (Norman Rockwell: A

Definitive Catalogue, vol. I, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, p. 260).

As the painting was commissioned as an advertising piece, the text on the Adirondack bats appear

to have been stripped-in during production. The sharp details are not present in the work itself.

Certainly this was a conscious decision from original creation, and in no way does it minimize the

extraordinary appeal.

While the market for top illustration art has established itself as one of the surging bulls of the

auction world, there is every reason to believe we are still enjoying the dawning of the trend. As one

of the most recognizable works in the catalog of one of American Art’s most celebrated talents, this

is a treasure that should enjoy a bright future. Licensing rights are included.

8 H E R I T A G E A U C T I O N S P R I V A T E T R E A T Y H E R I T A G E A U C T I O N S P R I V A T E T R E A T Y 9

THE ROOKIE (RED SOX LOCKER ROOM)

Sales Price**: .....................................................................................$22,565,000

**(Includes auction fee to buyer)

Low Estimate: ...................................................... $20,000,000High Estimate: ..................................................... $30,000,000

Signature: ............................................................................ SignedSize: .................................................................... 41.00” x 39.00”

(104.14cm x 99.06cm)Created: ................................................................................... 1957Medium: .................................................................... Oil / Canvas

Auction Lot: .................................................................................30Auction House: .................................... Christie’s New York,

Rockefeller CenterAuction Date: ..........................................................05/22/2014

SAYING GRACE

Sales Price**: .................................................. $46,085,000**(Includes auction fee to buyer)

Low Estimate: ................................................ $15,000,000High Estimate: ............................................... $20,000,000

Signature: ...................................................................... SignedSize: .............................................................. 43.00” x 41.00”

(109.22cm x 104.14cm)Created: .............................................................................1951Medium: ..............................................................Oil / Canvas

Auction Lot: ...........................................................................10Auction House: ..............................Sotheby’s New YorkAuction Date: ................................................... 12/04/2013

private treaty...norman rockwell “gee, thanks, brooks” baseball autograph (portrait of brooks...

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