Boy Scouts of America has auctioned off some of its famous Norman Rockwell paintings from its collection and raised over $3.7 million towards compensation owed to those who were sexually abused while in scouting.
The first batch of 25 paintings that sold on Friday are among over 300 from the Boy Scouts that will go under the hammer at Heritage Auctions in Dallas over the next few years.
The Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and auctioning off the art is a bid to survive the barrage of sexual abuse claims.
Friday’s auction included five of the nearly 60 works by Rockwell that are part of the collection. With the standard buyer’s premium added to the final hammer price, the 25 works sold for over $4.6 million.
Rockwell’s painting “To Keep Myself Physically Strong” shows a Cub Scout standing on a chair to measure the chest of his older brother, a Boy Scout who has taped his fitness record to his bedroom wall.
It sold for over $1.1 million, including the buyer’s premium.
Barbara Houser, a retired bankruptcy judge overseeing the survivors’ settlement trust, has said over 82,000 people filed abuse claims during the bankruptcy case, and of those, over 64,000 have filled out a detailed questionnaire to assert their claims.
Houser said that she was grateful to those who participated in the auction, noting that the proceeds “play an integral part in acknowledging decades of silent pain” that survivors suffered.
The $2.4 billion bankruptcy plan allowed the organization to continue operating while it compensated survivors. The plan went into effect last year.
In addition to the art, other contributions to the survivors' settlement trust are coming from sources including insurers and the sale of Boy Scout properties.
Many of the works being sold are as interwoven into American life as the 114-year-old organization itself, having been featured on magazine covers, calendars and even used to sell war bonds.
J.C. Leyendecker’s painting “Weapons for Liberty,” which depicts a Boy Scout clutching a sword in front of a flag-draped, shield-wielding depiction of Lady Liberty, sold for $312,500, including the buyer’s premium. It was featured on a cover of The Saturday Evening Post in 1918 and was adapted as a poster to sell World War I bonds.
The Boy Scouts announced this year that it is rebranding to Scouting America, a change intended to signal the organization’s commitment to inclusivity. The group now welcomes girls, as well as gay youth and leaders.
