On November 14, one of the most emblematic works of Norman Rockwell will go up for auction after having remained for decades in the White House and having been the subject of a prolonged family dispute over his property. The four-panel series titled So You Want to See The President! (1943) will be offered by Heritage Auctions with an initial bid of USD2 millionas reported by the auction house.
The journey of this work, which portrays the presidential waiting room as a space open to senators, journalists, soldiers and citizens, began in 1943, when Stephen T. Earlypress secretary to the president Franklin D. Rooseveltcommissioned the work to Rockwell.
The artist turned to his characteristic realistic and approachable style to capture a welcoming vision of executive power, at a time when the United States was going through World War II. The series, composed of watercolors and mixed media sketches, was published by The Saturday Evening Post in its edition of November 13, 1943, transmitting a message of national unity.
The initiative of early It was part of a broader strategy to bring the presidential figure closer to the common citizen. In addition to this assignment, the press secretary coined the term “fireside chats” to describe the radio addresses of Roosevelt and organized press conferences twice a week. The representation of a red sofa in the work of Rockwell It symbolized that bridge between the White House and American homes.
Aviva Lehmannsenior vice president and US art director at Heritage Auctionshighlighted the symbolic value of the auction, calling it a “once-in-a-generation collecting opportunity.” In his words, “Rockwell had an unmatched gift for translating the ideals of democracy into something personal and accessible,” as stated in a statement released by the auction house.
After its creation, the series remained in private hands until 1978. Early retained ownership of the paintings and later gave them to his daughter Helen Early Elamwho in turn bequeathed them to his son William Elam. It was the latter who, in 1978, loaned the works to the White House.
The apparent continuity in possession was interrupted in 2017, when Thomas Earlyson of Stephen T. Earlyquestioned the legitimacy of the transfer. Seeing the paintings in the background of a television interview with donald trumpalleged that William Elam had lent the sketches of Rockwell without proper family consent. That same year, an unofficial appraisal carried out by an auction house estimated that the value of the series could reach USD 8 million.
Following Thomas Early’s death in 2020, other family members continued the dispute. They argued that Helen Early Elam only owned a third of the series and that William Elam had removed the rest from his grandmother’s house. According to the family, the loan to the White House would have been a maneuver to consolidate the exclusive ownership of William Elam and dilute the original ownership. In 2022, the White House quietly removed Rockwell’s sketches from display.
The legal conflict came to an end in the fall of 2023, when the judge Michael S. Nachmanoff of the Federal District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, ruled in favor of William Elam. The magistrate determined that, as they were not part of Stephen T. Early’s estate, the works had been donated during his lifetime. A 1990 letter sent by Helen Elam to Rockwell Museum supported his son’s claim.
The work of Rockwell has achieved notable figures in the art market. His record was set in 2013, when Saying Gracecover of The Saturday Evening Post on November 24, 1951, it was sold for USD 46 million in Sotheby’s New Yorkaccording to data from Artnet Price Database.
