New York – An outstanding group of 20 paintings by members of the Wyeth family of artists from the collection of distinguished businesswoman, philanthropist, and connoisseur Linda L. Bean (1941-2024) is expected to achieve more than $3 million at Bonhams' American Art sale on November 19. Bean, granddaughter of the founder of the clothing and outdoor lifestyle empire L.L. Bean, was a devoted patron of the arts with a passion for artists from her native Maine, particularly the Wyeth dynasty, three generations of artists renowned for their contributions to the canon of American art. The star of the collection is an idyllic costal scene of Bean's beloved Port Clyde, Maine, executed circa 1936, by her personal favorite of the artists, Newell Convers (N.C.) Wyeth (1882-1945), estimated at $1,200,000 – 1,800,000.

A lifelong Maine resident well known for her devotion to the state's history, art, and people, Bean was drawn to the Wyeths for their plentiful depictions of the state she loved. A fascination that began in 1992 when she discovered a book of N.C. Wyeth's letters at an antiques show, Bean would spend the next 30 years learning about the family, collecting their paintings and illustrations, and eventually founding the N.C. Wyeth Research Foundation and Reading Libraries in 2018. Additionally, she lived the last 17 years in the fishing village of Port Clyde, where the Wyeth family has spent their summers since 1920 at the renown Eight Bells, owning and operating the town's General Store and Dip Net Restaurant.

Bean's unwavering dedication to Maine was further demonstrated through her numerous philanthropic efforts. Her major support of organizations such as the Monhegan Museum of Art and History, the Farnsworth Art Museum, and the Maine Historical Society as well as her contributions which enriched libraries, churches, fire departments, and youth camps across the state, has left an indelible mark on countless communities. Her generous legacy also extended beyond her home state to organizations including the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, where she also served as a trustee.

The sale will feature eight artists from three generations of the Wyeth/Mcoy family led by works from N.C., the artistic patriarch, and his son Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), considered one of the foremost American painters of the second half of the 20th century. The second and third generations of the family are represented in the collection with works by Henriette Wyeth (1907-1997), Ann Wyeth McCoy (1915-2005), John W. McCoy (1910-1989), Anna Brelsford McCoy (b. 1940), George Alexis Weymouth (1936-2016), and Jamie Wyeth (b. 1946). Highlights of the collection include:

• Two oil paintings by N.C. Wyeth - Self Portrait in Top Hat and Cape, circa 1927, estimated at $400,000 – 600,000, and Hungry, But Stern, on the Depot Platform (The Imitation Bad Man), 1905, estimated at $300,000 – 500,000.

• A watercolor on paper titled Island Dawn, 1941, estimated $120,000 – 180,000, by Andrew Wyeth as well as The Gam, a watercolor and graphite on paper executed in 1938, estimated at $100,000 – 150,000.

• Two works by distinguished American realist painter Jamie Wyeth – Dead Cat Museum, Monhegan Island, 1999, estimated at $300,000 – 500,000, and a.w. Double A.W. Study / Heads and Hands, 2019, estimated at $40,000 – 60,000.

• Ann Wyeth McCoy by Henriette Wyeth, well-known for her portraits and still life paintings, estimated at $20,000 – 30,000.

• Pa's Studio, circa 1930 by Ann Wyeth McCoy, a composer, pianist and painter, estimated at $1,000 – 1,500.