The first batch of Boy Scout art will raise more than $3.7 million for those abused while scouting

DALLAS (AP) — The first batch of artwork from the Boy Scouts of America collection raised more than $3.7 million at auction Friday to help pay damages owed to those sexually abused while scouting.

The 25 works sold are among more than 300 from Boy Scouts that Heritage Auctions in Dallas will offer in the coming years. With the standard buyer’s premium added to the final hammer price, the 25 works sold for more than $4.6 million.

Hoping to survive a barrage of sexual abuse claims, the Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy in 2020. The $2.4 billion bankruptcy plan allowed the organization to continue operating while compensating survivors. The plan came into effect last year.

In addition to art, other contributions to survivors’ confidence come from insurers and the sale of Boy Scout property, among others.

Many of the works sold are as woven into American life as the 114-year-old organization itself, having appeared on magazine covers and calendars and even used to sell war bonds. Friday’s auction included five of the nearly 60 works by Norman Rockwell that are part of the collection.

Rockwell’s painting “To Keep Myself Physically Strong” shows a cub 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 more than $1.1 million, including the buyer’s premium.

J.C. Leyendecker’s painting “Weapons for Liberty,” which depicts a Boy Scout holding a sword in front of a flag-draped, shield-wielding image of Lady Liberty, sold for $312,500, including the buyer’s premium. It was on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in 1918 and was adapted as a poster to sell World War I bonds.

Barbara Houser, a retired bankruptcy judge who oversees the survivor settlement scheme, has said that more than 82,000 people filed abuse claims during the bankruptcy case, and of those, more than 64,000 filled out a detailed questionnaire to assert their claims .

Houser said in a news release Friday that she was grateful to those who participated in the auction, noting that the proceeds “play an integral role in recognizing decades of silent pain” suffered by survivors.

The Boy Scouts announced this year that it is changing its name to Scouting America, a change intended to reflect the organization’s commitment to inclusivity. The group now welcomes girls, as well as gay youth and leaders.