The auction house announced that along with Rockwell’s masterpieces, works by other notable artists will also go under the hammer. Among them is J.C. Leyendecker’s “Weapons for Liberty,” a powerful World War I poster featuring a young Boy Scout front and center.
As of June 30, the trust had already distributed $18.95 million in payments, with more set to follow. According to Heritage Auctions, the sale of the remaining art will take place over the next one to two years.
Boy Scout Abuse Trust Art Sales: A Connection Revisited
Norman Rockwell’s association with the Boy Scouts is legendary, and his works have become synonymous with the organization’s image. The famed illustrator created numerous covers for the Boy Scouts’ magazine “Boys’ Life,” cementing his place as a visual storyteller of youth and Americana. Yet now, his works will serve a different purpose—fueling the financial recovery of those wronged by the very institution he illustrated for decades.
The Rockwell pieces involved in the sale are currently on loan to the Medici Museum of Art in Howland, Ohio, but will soon make their way to eager bidders. It’s a striking juxtaposition: art that once symbolized innocence now auctioned to remedy the darkest of wrongs.
The Legal Framework Behind the Auction
The sale is part of a broader effort to settle the Boy Scouts’ legal obligations following one of the largest bankruptcy cases of its kind.
