Maurice Brazil Prendergast's Near Gloucester is to lead a sale of American art at Christie's New York on March 25 with a valuation of $150,000-250,000.

Prendergast was an American post-impressionist and a member of The Eight, a group that formed in the early 20th century in protest against conservative gallery owners.

Maurice Prendergast was a key member of The Eight

The auction house comments: "Near Gloucester belongs to an important body of work executed after Maurice Prendergast's pivotal trip to Paris in 1907, where he was profoundly influenced by Cézanne and the Fauves.

"Painted circa 1916-19, the present work exhibits Prendergast's fascination with capturing picturesque crowds at leisure in his unique modernist approach to painting."

Charles Ephraim Burchfield's The Moon and Queen Anne's Lace is likely to prove another highlight, with a $120,000-180,000 estimate.

The work is executed in watercolour (Burchfield's preferred medium) and is a highly evocative depiction of a natural scene.

B Moore explained in his book Charles Burchfield: Ecstatic Light: "One of the many fascinating aspects of Charles E. Burchfield was his passion and commitment to capturing what for him became the essential and almost transcendent experience of nature.

"It influenced the choice of his subject matter and his choice of watercolor as a primary medium, as well as the evolution of his form of expression."

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