Potter & Potter Auctions to Hold Art and Design Sale Featuring Outsider, Fine, Contemporary, and Ancient Art

Top lots include a Bill Traylor pencil work, a Keith Haring Blueprint Drawing Series print, paintings by Tony Fitzpatrick and David Maass, and 13 works by Lia Nickson from the beloved Chicago Wishbone Restaurants

Chicago, IL — November 2026 — Potter & Potter Auctions will hold a 694-lot Art and Design Sale on Thursday, November 19, 2026, beginning at 10:00 AM. The auction takes place live at Potter & Potter’s gallery at 5001 W. Belmont Avenue in Chicago and will also be live-streamed on the company’s website at potterauctions.com. Phone and absentee bids are welcome.

The sale spans Outsider, Fine, Contemporary, Decorative, and Ancient Art, as well as photographic images. A preview reception will be held on Sunday, November 15, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the gallery, featuring paintings by Lia Nickson (1924-2009) that were previously on display at the legacy Chicago-area Wishbone Restaurants. Wishbone owner Joel Nickson will be in attendance.

Outsider Art

The top lot of the sale is Lot #114, Bill Traylor’s (American, 1854-1957) Untitled, estimated at $40,000-$60,000. This circa 1939-1942 pencil on found cardboard measures 10 x 8-1/2 inches and is framed in Plexiglas measuring 22-1/4 x 18-1/4 inches overall. The verso features a vintage blue printed advertisement for Collins Walnut Caramels, published by Peter Paul, Inc. of Philadelphia, PA.

Paintings and Works on Paper

Lot #7, Lia Nickson’s Trip-Chick, is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. This circa 1990 three-part oil on wood panel on a barn wood frame measures 60-1/2 x 84 x 3 inches and is signed and titled on the verso. Colorfully illustrated with farm and water animals in playful vignettes, this painting is one of 13 lots on offer by Nickson that were displayed at the Chicago Wishbone Restaurants. The business was founded by the artist’s son Joel Nickson in July 1990, and the beloved eatery closed last summer after 36 years.

Lot #321, David Maass’ (American, 1929-2026) Ruffed Grouse in Flight Among Birch Trees, is estimated at $15,000-$20,000. This circa 1970 oil on Masonite measures 24 x 36 inches (28 x 40 x 2-1/2 inches framed) and is signed by the artist on the lower right. Largely self-taught as a wildlife illustrator, Maass won 33 duck and conservation stamp competitions, including two Federal Duck Stamp Contests, one of them in 1974. His work is held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, among other institutions.

Contemporary Art

Lot #46, Tony Fitzpatrick’s (American, 1958-2025) Chicago / Anna Mae, is estimated at $10,000-$20,000. This mixed media collage on paper measures 9 x 11 inches (15 x 17 inches in its Plexiglas frame) and features a prominent red cardinal at center, signed in collage initials on the lower right. Fitzpatrick, a legend in the Chicago art world, was best known as a printmaker and collage artist, and also created notable drawings on slate and craft paper. The sale includes over 50 examples of his work.

Lot #276, Keith Haring’s (American, 1958-1990) early print from the Blueprint Drawing Series, is estimated at $15,000-$25,000. This 1981 printer’s proof with sepia tone on paper measures 42-1/2 x 77-1/2 inches and is signed on the lower right. A rare example of a 12-panel cartoon, it was later printed by Martin Lawrence Gallery in conjunction with Durham Press. The larger, complete series of 17 separate prints was published in 1990; this panel was first in the series.

For bidding information and the complete catalog, visit Potter & Potter Auctions.