Tony Fitzpatrick, a late Chicago artist, had his major pieces sell for far more than their estimated value at an auction in Belmont Cragin. The auction, held by Potter & Potter Auctions, featured dozens of works by Fitzpatrick and saw great success, with the auction house planning to hold another one featuring his work this year.

High Sales for Fitzpatrick’s Work

"Blood Red Bird," an original mixed media collage on paper, sold for $11,875, including a buyer's premium. Its estimated value had been $3,000 to $5,000. A 26-print series Fitzpatrick created in 1999-2000 for his two children, titled "Max & Gaby's Alphabet," sold for $11,600 — several thousand more than was estimated.

Hard Luck Number, a 1993 limited print featuring a large green snake and signed by Fitzpatrick with his initials, went for $4,800 — about four times its estimated worth. Other works in the collection that had been valued in the hundreds drew $1,000 to $2,000 or more.

Auction House Director Comments

Aron Packer, director of the art department at Potter & Potter Auctions, was not surprised by the high sales. "I was expecting something like this to happen after he passed," said Packer, who knew Fitzpatrick before he died in October at age 66. "He is a great artist. This confirmed it."

Packer noted that while it's a "sensitive issue" as to when to hold an auction for a deceased artist's work, "this was the right time to do something." The auction did more than a half-million dollars in sales, with Fitzpatrick having the most pieces with 32 works.

Other notable sales included an untitled piece by Bill Traylor, an artist who was born into slavery in Alabama, which fetched $50,400. "Groucho Doody" by well-known Chicago painter Ed Paschke sold for $9,600.

Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.