Minnesota Artists

Minnesota has produced far more significant art than its reputation suggests, and for a long time the market did not reward it. That has changed. Over the past five years the artists who worked here have been re-read as part of the national story rather than a regional footnote, and prices have followed. Revere Auctions sits in St. Paul, in the middle of that shift, and sells more Minnesota art than any other auction house in the country.

Why Minnesota Art Is Being Re-Discovered

For most of the twentieth century, an artist who chose to live in Minneapolis or St. Paul rather than New York was quietly filed as a regional painter. The work was admired locally and priced accordingly.

That framing has broken down. George Morrison is now understood as a New York School painter who happened to be Ojibwe and who came home, not as a Midwestern outsider. Charles Biederman wrote from Red Wing and was read seriously in London. Warren MacKenzie made pots in Stillwater that changed how Americans think about a bowl. Once collectors stopped treating distance from Manhattan as a verdict on quality, the prices moved.

The practical effect for anyone holding this work is simple. Pieces that sat in Minnesota houses for decades, bought for a few hundred dollars from a local gallery, are now worth taking seriously before they are given away.

George Morrison, “White Painting”, 1975. Sold $450,000 by Revere Auctions, the artist’s auction record.

The Artists We Handle Most

These are the names that come through our salerooms regularly, and the ones our specialists know best.

Others we see often include Nicholas Brewer, Alexis Fournier, Knute Heldner, Elof Wedin, Dewey Albinson, Clement Haupers, Wanda Gág, Adolf Dehn, Frank Big Bear and David Rathman. And Upper Midwest pottery has its own guide.

Charles Biederman, “New York #7”, Structurist Relief, 1938. Sold $32,000 by Revere Auctions. Biederman built these in Red Wing and was argued over in London.

Where Revere Stands

Across the Minnesota artists we track, roughly a quarter of every lot sold at auction anywhere in the country passes through this building, and closer to forty percent of the money. For some names it is far higher: about two thirds of the Cameron Booth market and half of the Paul Granlund market.

One honest caveat. A large share of that money is George Morrison alone, and one painting accounts for a great deal of it. Take Morrison out and we are still the leading house for this material, but the gap narrows. We would rather tell you that than let a number do more work than it should.

The reason this matters if you are selling is not civic pride. It is that the buyers for this material are already watching our sales, and a Cameron Booth catalogued properly in St. Paul will usually find more competition than the same painting described as “mid-century abstract” somewhere else.

Minnesota Artists Appraisals

An auction estimate and a formal appraisal answer different questions.

A free auction estimate tells you what a piece would likely sell for at auction. It costs nothing and it is usually enough to decide whether to sell. Send photographs including the base and we will respond with a range.

A formal written appraisal is a signed document stating a value for a stated purpose: insurance, estate settlement and probate, or charitable donation. It is a paid service written to a different standard of value, and insurance appraisals in particular are normally higher than the auction estimate for the same piece.

Revere Auctions provides both through our appraisal and valuation services team. If you are not sure which you need, ask for the free auction estimate first.

How to Sell Minnesota Artists

The strongest results for Minnesota art come at auction, where national and international collectors bid against each other. Revere Auctions offers free, no-obligation auction estimates: send photos and dimensions and our specialists respond with a current market valuation and a recommendation on how to sell. Consigned works are professionally photographed, cataloged, and marketed through our fine art auctions to a worldwide bidder base, and we regularly arrange shipping for consignors across the country. If you need a formal written valuation for insurance or estate purposes, our appraisal and valuation services team can help; you can also read more about how selling at auction works.

Related guides: George Morrison, Cameron Booth, Paul Granlund, Charles Biederman, Warren MacKenzie.

Reviewed by the fine art specialists at Revere Auctions, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Minnesota Artists: Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the most collectible Minnesota artists?

George Morrison, Warren MacKenzie, Charles Biederman, Cameron Booth, Paul Granlund and Jim Denomie are the names that consistently draw national bidding. Morrison is the most valuable by a wide margin, with an auction record of $450,000 set at Revere Auctions.

Is Minnesota art worth more than it used to be?

Yes. Artists who were once filed as regional are increasingly read as part of the national story, and prices have risen accordingly over the past several years. Work bought locally for a few hundred dollars decades ago is often worth considerably more today.

Where is the best place to sell Minnesota art?

Revere Auctions is in St. Paul and sells more Minnesota art than any other auction house, including about two thirds of the Cameron Booth market and half of the Paul Granlund market. The buyers for this material already follow our sales.

How do I find out what my Minnesota painting is worth?

Send photographs of the front, the signature and the reverse, including any gallery or exhibition labels. Our specialists will respond with a free auction estimate. Labels matter here, because much of this work was sold through a small number of Twin Cities galleries.

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