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Rockwell baseball painting sells for $1.6M at auction

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A rendering by Norman Rockwell of one of his best known paintings. The rendering has sold at auction for $1.6 million. Heritage Auctions says the painting sold Aug. 20 in Dallas to a buyer who wants to remain anonymous. The work was a study, or preliminary work, for Rockwell’s “Tough Call.” The painting features three umpires looking skyward pondering whether to call a game because of rain. The family that put it up for auction had thought they just had a print.

DALLAS >> A rendering by Norman Rockwell of one of his best known baseball-themed paintings has sold at auction for $1.6 million.

The work was a study, or a preliminary work, for Rockwell’s “Tough Call.”

The painting depicts three umpires looking skyward pondering whether to call a game because of rain. It’s arguably the most recognizable of his baseball-themed works.

Heritage Auctions says the painting sold Aug. 20 in Dallas to a buyer who wants to remain anonymous.

The Austin family who put the work up for auction thought they just had a print of the work before they had it examined.

The final painting is in the possession of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

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