A painting by Jamie Wyeth titled “Double A.W. Study / Heads and Hands,” owned by the late Linda Bean, was part of an American art auction by Bonham Auction House in New York on Tuesday. Bonhams via AP

Two dozen paintings from the estate of Linda Bean, including 20 by members of the Wyeth family, fetched just over $2.5 million at auction Tuesday.

The collection from Linda Bean, the late granddaughter of L.L.Bean’s founder, were sold as part of a larger auction, American Art, by Bonhams in New York. Bean’s collection included paintings and illustrations by three generations of Wyeths – N.C. Wyeth, his son Andrew Wyeth, and his son Jamie Wyeth.

Several of the most highly anticipated paintings in the collection sold for below their appraised value, including N.C. Wyeth’s “Unknown (Coastal Scene with Apple Tree in Foreground),” which went for $950,000. It had been expected to fetch between $1.2 and $1.8 million in early appraisals.

His “Self Portrait in Top Hat” sold for $400,000 after just a handful of bids. That was at the very bottom of the appraised range.

But a smaller oil painting of Maine’s Port Clyde, “Untitled (View of Kelp Beds, Port Clyde),” sold for $120,000 – four times its appraised value of between $20,000 and $30,000. N.C. Wyeth had a home in the area. (Two of Linda Bean’s sons also live in the town, where she owned the Port Clyde General Store and Tenants Harbor General Store in the heart of Port Clyde village, which were destroyed by fire on Sept. 27, 2023.)

Andrew Wyeth’s “The Gam” sold for $160,000 –  over its appraised range of $100,000 to $150,000.

Jamie Wyeth’s “Dead Cat Museum, Monhegan Island” sold for $280,000. His “Island Graveyard” watercolor sold for $25,000 after only one person placed a bid.

The 1941 painting “Island Dawn” by  Andrew Wyeth was part of an American art auction on by Bonham Auction House in New York on Tuesday. Bonhams via AP

Bean, who died in March at age 82, was a Maine businesswoman, philanthropist and activist for conservative causes.

She was one of two granddaughters of Leon Leonwood Bean, who founded the outdoor goods retailer L.L.Bean in Freeport in 1912. Linda Bean served on the company’s board for nearly half a century. She also bought lobster dealerships, founded Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster brand and owned other businesses on Maine’s coast, where she lived in Port Clyde.

The Wyeth family famously has ties to Maine. Andrew Wyeth painted his 1948 masterpiece “Christina’s World” in nearby Cushing. N.C. Wyeth had a home in Port Clyde.

The auction also included artwork from five other Wyeth family members. Douglas Allen’s “Seagulls,” gouache on board, sold for $6,000, several times more than its appraised value of between $600 and $800.

This report contains material from The Associated Press.