12 Hawks at 3 O’Clock (1962)

The Painting is a masterpiece example from Joan Mitchell’s body of work that was influenced not only by her Abstract Expressionist peers, but also French Impressionism and European Modernism. The National Gallery of Art’s publication “Twentieth-Century American Art, The Ebsworth Collection” describes the title and composition of the Painting as, “a poetic allusion: the rosy orb evokes a sun in the afternoon sky, while the dark brushstrokes imply a cluster of hawks,” and notes that the Painting, “deftly exemplifies her ability to evoke landscape even while remaining within the resolute confines of abstraction.”

Joan Mitchell was one of the most celebrated American Abstract Expressionists of her generation, and 12 Hawks at 3 O’Clock is believed to be one of her masterpieces.
Joan Mitchell’s peers include Jackson Pollock (record auction price of $58.4m), Willem de Kooning (record price $68.9m), Mark Rothko (record price $86.9m), Barnett Newman (record price $84.2), and Clyfford Still (record price $61.7m). We believe the art market continues to emphasize female artists, and that this painting could be the most desirable work that will be available to purchase by the artist.
12 Hawks at 3 O’Clock holds the artist’s 3rd top auction record of $14,037,500.
Although there are no guarantees, similar paintings have appreciated at 17.2% annualized historically from 1985 to 2020.
The painting was previously owned by renowned artist, Sam Francis, until his death; it then entered the collection of notable American collector, Barney Ebsworth. To our knowledge, this work is the best example from Mitchell’s “Paris Years” still held in a private collection.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Baltimore Museum of Art announced a major upcoming retrospective of Mitchell’s work set to open in September 2021.