A Norman Rockwell painting from 1951 set the record for the highest price paid at auction for an American painting early in December.
“Saying Grace,” depicting a boy and his grandmother praying at a table in a restaurant, sold in a Sotheby’s auction Dec. 4 to an unnamed buyer for $46 million, more than double its estimated price.
At the time, Rockwell was paid $3,500 to paint the piece (equivalent to about $30,500 today), meaning it was sold for about 1,500 times the original price. Two other works from Rockwell, “The Gossip” and “Walking to Church,” were also sold at the auction bringing in about $12 million total.
Courtesy of The LA Times
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/dec/04/news/la-norman-rockwell-record-20131204