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August 24, 2025

From Wyeths to Warhol: Art and collectibles to take center stage in 4-day auction on Maine's midcoast

Six paintings to be auctioned Images / Courtesy of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries A four-day auction on Maine's midcoast will feature works of art by three generations of Wyeths and screenprints by Andy Warhol. The catalog is valued at $3.3 million to $4.7 million.
By Renee Cordes

A year after selling a Rembrandt masterpiece for $1.4 million, a midcoast auction house is aiming for an equally dramatic sequel with its biggest-ever art and collectibles sale later this week.

Dubbed “Summer Grandeur,” the four-day sell-a-thon will feature more than 1,500 lots of masterworks, antiques and precious objects valued at $3.3 million to $4.5 million. It will take place from Thursday through Sunday at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries. 

The art catalog spans works attributed to Dutch Old Masters Frans Hals and a follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck, three generations of Wyeths and screenprints by Andy Warhol.

Some of the works come from the estates of the late Linda Bean, the granddaughter of L.L.Bean founder Leon Leonwood Bean, and from Brooke Astor’s summer cottage in Northeast Harbor.

“This is the first time we’re doing a four-day sale, and the estates that we’re handling have such high-quality things and are owned by very well-known Americans,” Kaja Veilleux, founder and owner of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, told Mainebiz in a phone interview.

Bean boasted an “incredible collection” of works by Andrew Wyeth, as well as his father, N.C. Wyeth, and son, Jamie Wyeth, Veilleux said. 

Astor, an American philanthropist, socialite and writer who died in 2007, “collected everything” from tea pots and paintings to china — “the whole run of which you’d find in a summer cottage,” Veilleux said.

Other highlights include a 1956 Ford Thunderbird, luxury timepieces and a Hermès Birkin designer bag.

Passion for preservation 

Veilleux, 74, who started buying and selling art at age 12 and has been in the auction business since age 20, said he aims to find buyers who share his passion for collecting and preserving precious works of art and collectibles.

“It’s very exciting for me to try and protect 1,500 items over the course of four days,” he said.

They will be intense days for the auctioneer, working the gavel eight hours straight each day with no food or breaks.

“I sip on iced tea, Coke and just keep it moving,” he said. “The whole thing is to make sure that the clients are entertained and that things move quickly enough so everyone gets a chance to buy something.”

'Thrill of the chase'

The four-day auction comes exactly a year after an auction that made international headlines with the sale of a painting that turned out to be "Portrait of a Girl," by Rembrandt van Rijn. Discovered during a routine appraisal via to a private estate in Camden, the painting was sold to an unnamed European buyer for $1.4 million. 

“For me the exciting thing is always the thrill of the chase,” Veilleux said. “Given the quality of some of the objects” in this year’s auction, “there should be a lot of surprises I hope.”

While he’s counting on a strong turnout for the auction, he noted that factors like the weather and "how people feel that day" can also play a role.

“You’re at the mercy of a lot of different things that can happen,” he said.

More information

The "Summer Grandeur" auction will take place at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries from Aug. 28-31.

Find out more and register to bid here. Seating in the auction hall is limited and available by reservation only, and phone bidding lines are also capped to ensure fair access.
 

ICYMI: 2021 Mainebiz cover story about art collectors in Maine

Picture this: art collectors keep Maine artists, dealers busy during pandemic 

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