02 May Auction Block: Leading the Charge

Auction houses and museums offered an exciting array of artworks for sale, and buyers proved interested, turning up for online and in-person events this spring.

In March, the 2024 Scottsdale Art Auction totaled more than $10.4 million, marking several world auction records for artists such as Bill Owens and seeing strong performances for historic Western artists like E.I. Couse and Maynard Dixon and contemporary artists like Mark Maggiori.

Meanwhile, the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s 2024 Night of Artists Exhibition and Sale made waves with record-breaking attendance and revenue exceeding $2.3 million during the opening weekend. Over 280 works by 86 leading Western artists were featured, with George Hallmark receiving a Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award. And the 37th annual March in Montana Auction & Dealer Show marked a significant milestone with record-breaking sales totaling $3.2 million. Norman Rockwell’s The Christmas Coach led the auction, followed by works from William Gollings and Joe Kronenberg, which also achieved impressive prices.

John Moran Auctioneers’ Art of the American West sale featured a diverse range of lots, with Navajo textiles and jewelry taking the spotlight. And Bonhams Skinner’s Native American and Tribal Art auction in March showcased a diverse array of artifacts, with a Northern Plains beaded hide robe emerging as the top-selling item. The auction featured items from various indigenous cultures, including Pueblo pottery and Navajo weavings.

Scottsdale Art Auction

April 12 – 13

Total: $10.4 million+

The 2024 Scottsdale Art Auction achieved strong results across a variety of collecting categories with a 97 percent sell-through rate and a total of more than $10.4 million. During the two-day auction April 12 and 13, 406 lots of historic and contemporary Western art were offered, and several world records were set for artists.

Tom Lovell, an early member of the Cowboy Artists of America, saw the highest price for the weekend when his painting Cottonwood Gazette sold for $339,300, above the high estimate of $300,000. The painting depicts three Native American warriors, one on his horse, reading a pictograph carved in the trunk of a dead oak tree.

Lovell’s longtime friend John Clymer had the second highest price of the weekend. His painting Clearing the Palo Duro sold for $304,200, over its high estimate of $275,000. The artist painted the thunderous arrival of a herd of buffalo to the Palo Duro Valley, known by many as the Grand Canyon of Texas, in 1980. The scene is filled with wildlife, but it tells a simple story: the buffalo are the unrivaled champions of the land.

Tom Lovell, Cottonwood Gazette | Oil on Canvas | 40 x 30 inches | Sold: $339,300

Another Clymer, Trading Down the Sweetwater, sold for $292,500, more than double its high estimate of $120,000, tying for the third top-selling lot with a 24-by-20-inch portrait by artist Nicolai Fechin, Carmelita.

The fourth top-selling item was by Birger Sandzen, Summer in the Mountains, which brought $280,800 and exemplifies Sandzen’s signature color, impressionism, and heavy impasto.

To round out the top five selling lots, Distant Signal — a work by Martin Grelle, a present member of the Cowboy Artists — sold for $257,400, well over the estimate of $150,000 to $200,000. Painted in 2015, Distant Signal shows many of the qualities collectors seek in a Grelle painting: gorgeous color, a composition that allows for an intriguing narrative, breathtaking scenery, and historical accuracy.

The 2024 Scottsdale Art Auction set a world record for the work of Bill Owen, a lifetime member of the Cowboy Artists of America who passed away in 2013, when his painting On the Drag brought $81,900, above estimates of $30,000 to $50,000.

Works by other contemporary Western artists saw record prices as well. A collection of 10 paintings and drawings by Mark Maggiori was available for bid. Notable sales from these offerings include the artist’s 2018 painting, And the Mountains Echoed, which sold for $222,300, nearly double its high estimate; The Crossing, which brought $146,250, above the high estimate of $100,000; and Living on the Edge, which sold for $105,300, above its high estimate of $75,000.

John Clymer, Clearing the Palo Duro| Oil on Canvas | 24 x 48 inches | Sold: $304,200

Another highlight in the contemporary category was the work of Western still life painter Kyle Polzin. Polzin had five paintings sell for a combined $330,575. Leading the group was Oak and Amber, a complex painting of antique liquor bottles and labels, which sold for $93,800, above estimates of $35,000 to $55,000.

The auction has historically achieved strong results for the works of G. Harvey. This year was no different, as seven paintings went home with collectors. Boot Top Crossing sold for $152,100, Tracks Below the Rim brought $140,400, Softness of Winter brought $70,200, and The Evening Carriage sold for $64,350.

Work by historic Western artists also achieved high results over the weekend. Taos Founder E.I. Couse’s painting Kachina Doll Maker sold for $245,700. Another Couse, The Sculptor, sold for $117,000, and Joseph Henry Sharp’s Indian by Firelight sold for $152,100. Maynard Dixon’s classic landscape, Peaceful Morning sold for $111,150. Also, a Charlie Russell bronze, A Bronc Twister, sold for $222,300.

The weekend also saw world record prices for the work of John Nieto. A Suite of 9 Headshots, each 20 by 16 inches, sold for $81,900 against an auction estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. Charging Wolf sold for $32,750, more than double its high estimate, and a portrait of Kicking Bear sold for $35,100 against an estimate of $12,000 to $18,000.

“There were many things in this weekend’s auction that stood out to me,” says Brad Richardson, partner in the Scottsdale Art Auction and owner of Legacy Gallery. “First of all, we saw many new faces in the room who were quite active in the sale. Secondly, our online bidding was higher than it has ever been, and lastly, we sold 99 percent of the lots during the first Session and 97 percent overall. The market for historic and contemporary Western art is as strong as it’s ever been, and we were thrilled to bring so many quality pieces to auction this year.”

Briscoe Western Art Museum: 2024 Night of Artists

March 22 – May 5

$2.3 million+

Kicking off its annual sale and exhibition with record-breaking attendance, mariachis and cowboys on horseback greeted everyone in style during the opening festivities at the Briscoe Western Art Museum during the 2024 Night of Artists Exhibition and Sale. With almost 60 percent of the art sold and more than $2.3 million in total revenue generated during the opening weekend, the fixed-price sale and exhibition continued through May 5.

Morgan Weistling, High Stakes | Oil on Linen | 18 x 30 inches | Sold: $25,000

“This year’s kickoff showcases that Western art continues to flourish thanks to the fantastic talent of the amazing artists who illustrate and preserve the American West and the appreciation and admiration of collectors and enthusiasts who share our love of the West,” says Liz Jackson, President and CEO of the Briscoe Western Art Museum. “The continued success of Night of Artists has been a highlight of the Briscoe’s first decade. We’re excited to continue to showcase, celebrate, and share the West with everyone, and we are grateful to the artists and enthusiasts who help make that happen.”

The museum’s signature fundraiser and exhibition features more than 280 works of painting, sculpture, and mixed media by 86 of the country’s leading Western artists. Participating artists included Billy Schenck, Don Oelze, Z.S. Liang, John Coleman, C. Michael Dudash, George Hallmark, Kim Wiggins, Jeremy Lipking, Bonnie Marris, Michael Ome Untiedt, Teresa Elliot, Jan Mapes, Kevin Red Star, Walter Matia, and others.

Ed Natiya, Stories of Our People | Bronze | 64 x 48 x 36 inches | Sold: $60,000

As part of its annual artist awards, the Briscoe honored the 50-year career of George Hallmark, an artist who has participated in all 23 years of Night of Artists. Hallmark was presented with a Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award and a pair of the museum’s signature spurs.

Jim Vogel’s High Stakes — Pancho Villa loses his favorite rifle to Elfego Baca, then wants it back earned the Briscoe Museum Purchase Award and was added to the museum’s permanent collection. The artwork was purchased for $22,000.

Additional awards were presented at an artists’ breakfast and included: Morgan Weistling’s High Stakes won the Sam Houston Award for Painting and sold for $25,000; Walter Matia’s West With the Night won the James Bowie Award for Sculpture and sold for $19,000; Eric Bowman’s Wicked Felina won the David Crockett Award for Artists’ Choice Award and sold for $52,000; and Ed Natiya’s Stories of Our People won the William B. Travis Award for Patrons’ Choice and sold for $60,000.

The largest annual fundraiser for the museum, proceeds from Night of Artists benefits the Briscoe’s full array of exhibitions, engagement, and educational programs throughout the year.

March in Montana Auction & Dealer Show

March 15 – 16, 2024

Total: $3.2 million

The 37th March in Montana sale marked a record-breaking sales and turnout this year. Auctioneer Troy Black orchestrated the proceedings with his signature fast-paced and high-energy style, selling 97 percent of the lots offered and resulting in $3.2 million in sales. Presented by Coeur d’Alene Galleries and The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, the event featured 777 lots of fine Western and historic art, sculpture, contemporary art, and collectibles.

William “Bill” Gollings, Winter Camp | Oil on Canvas | 18 x 24 inches | Sold: $102,000

The top-selling item was Norman Rockwell’s Sleigh Ride, which brought $240,000 above its high estimate of $70,000. The work was a study created in 1935 as a preliminary to a large mural painting, which hangs in the Clubhouse of the Society of Illustrators in New York City. A collection of notes, books, and magazines accompanied the lot, including a Polaroid of Norman Rockwell and personal note regarding the piece signed by the artist stating this was a sketch/study for the full painting.

Mark Maggiori, First Night of Spring | Oil on Linen | 16 x 20 inches | Sold: $51,000

The March auction also showcased a significant collection of works by William Gollings, including a group of etchings and an impressive oil painting titled Winter Camp, which was the second top-selling lot bringing more than $100,000, amid estimates of $80,000 to $120,000. The oil painting was exhibited at the Brinton Museum in Big Horn, Wyoming, from July through September 2020.

A standout moment of the auction was the spirited bidding for an exceptional oil painting by Idaho artist Joe Kronenberg, which garnered third position. His Western town scene surpassed expectations, and the pre-sale estimate of $10,000 to $15,000, to bring a world-record price for the artist at $84,000 while he looked on.

Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, The Environment: Carry a Red Flag | Mixed Media | 29.5 x 41.5 inches | Sold: $48,000

The catalog cover piece, by Danish-American painter Olaf Seltzer, also captivated bidders to earn the fourth top-selling lot. Return at Twilight sold for $60,000, above its high estimate of $50,000, and depicts two Native American men on horseback, with the moon rising behind them.

Olaf C. Seltzer, Return at Twilight | Oil on Canvas | 16 x 24 inches | Sold: $60,000

Artist Mark Maggiori’s First Night of Spring sold for $51,000, above its high estimate of $30,000 for fifth position, followed by Jaune Quick-To-See Smith’s The Environment: Carry a Red Flag, which brought $48,000, above its high estimate of $30,000.

Norman Rockwell, Sleigh Ride or Study for The Dover Coach or Study for the Christmas Coach | Oil on Board | 9 x 22 inches | Sold: $240,000

Notable sales from the consignment portion of the auction included a Gamblers Box from the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, which surpassed its estimate of $8,000 to $12,000 to bring $24,000. Additionally, a one-of-a-kind sketchbook by artist Nancy McLaughlin exceeded expectations, achieving four times its estimate.

John Moran Auctioneers: Art of the American West

Total: $300,000+

March 12, 2024

Navajo textiles and jewelry led John Moran Auctioneers’ spring Art of the American West sale on March 12. The auction offered more than 380 lots, fitting a wide range of aesthetics from historic to contemporary. Collectors turned out for the Navajo textiles and the more than 160 lots of Navajo and Pueblo jewelry and belts, including pieces by Clarence Lee, Federico Jimenez, Danny Romero, Gary Reeves, and Frank Patania. Noteworthy fine art included examples by Ralph Love and Ken Payne.

A Navajo Second Phase Chief’s Blanket | Wool | 56 x 69.5 inches | Sold: $11,880

A Navajo Second Phase Chief’s Blanket from the late 19th/early 20th century led the sale at $11,880, above its high estimate of $5,000. An unidentified artist wove the textile with alternating bands of cream and dark brown wool with blue banding and green crosses.

The second top-selling item was a Clarence Lee [1952 – 2011, Diné] Storyteller necklace. The intricately etched scene in sterling silver tripled its high estimate, bringing $9,240. The necklace won first place in jewelry at the 1987 Santa Fe Indian Market.

Art Tafoya, An Art Tafoya Carved Stone Frog Fetish Pendant | Sterling Silver, Stones, Coral | 23.5 to 27 x 5.375 x 2 inches | Sold: $571

The third top-selling item was a JB Moore Navajo Textile, which brought $8,890, above its high estimate of $1,800. Made in the early 20th century by an unknown Diné artist, the finely woven rug, in red, salt and pepper, black, and cream wool, has two central sawtooth diamonds surrounded by floating hooked motifs and sawtooth bands. The rug has design elements inspired by plate 19 in a 1911 JB Moore catalog.

The fourth top lot was Ralph Love’s oil painting White Mountains, which sold for $6,985, above the high estimate of $4,000. Born in Los Angeles, Love is best known for his Southern California landscape paintings and views of the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley in a style after painter Thomas Moran.

James Regimbal, Highway to Home | Patinated and Cold Painted Bronze on a Wood Base | 14.25 x 50.25 x 7 inches | Sold: $4,445

The auction included 30 lots of belts and accessories. Danny Romero’s mosaic inlay portrait belt buckle sold for $6,350, above its high estimate of $1,200, rounding out the top five items. The oval buckle depicts a portrait of the artist in mixed stone inlay, including lapis lazuli and onyx.

Frank Patania, A Frank Patania Sterling Silver and Turquoise Concho Belt | Sterling Silver, Turquoise, Leather | Buckle: 3 x 4 inches; Each concho: 2.5 x 2.875 inches; Strap: 34 x 1 inches | Sold: $5,397

Other notable results included a Gary Reeves Navajo sterling silver and set coral Concho belt, earning $6,270; a Frank Patania sterling silver and turquoise Concho belt, which sold for $5,397; and a Navajo Late Classic Banded blanket, earning a winning bid of $5,940; a bronze by Ken Payne Other Side of the Blue Mountains, which sold for $4,950; and a blackware pottery vase by Maria Martinez and Popovi Da from the San Ildefonso Pueblo, which sold for $3,810.

Bonhams Skinner: Native American and Tribal Art

March 3 – 13, 2024

Total: $419,000

Bonhams Skinner’s spring auction of Native American and Tribal Art offered a diverse array of items amid 442 lots, from African masks and Polynesian artifacts to stone tools from Melanesia and a selection of Plains beadwork. Standout items include a rare and early water storage gourd from Hawaii, a Fijian cannibal fork shaped like a flying fox, and a Suku helmet mask from the Congo. Representing the U.S. Southwest was an assortment of Pueblo pottery, both historic and contemporary, along with Navajo weavings and exquisite silver and turquoise jewelry. The auction, taking place March 3 through 13, brought a total of $419,000.

A Northern Plains Beaded Hide Robe | Buffalo Hide and Beads | 46 x 48 inches | Sold: $61,440

A rare and early example of a Northern Plains beaded hide robe was the top-selling item, exceeding its high estimate of $9,000 to achieve $61,440. The buffalo hide was from the fourth quarter of the 19th century and featured red, blue, tan, and white geometric beadwork.

Four Northwest Coast Halibut Hooks | Wood, Metal, Cord | 11.25, 9.75, 9.5, and 9.5 inches | Sold: $6,400

The second top-selling lot was A decorated Hawaiian water storage gourd, umeke pawehe, which brought $20,480, above its high estimate of $18,000. The gourd, with a long, narrow spout, was decorated with linear designs and featured a dark patina.

The fourth and fifth top-selling items were A Northeast finger-woven L’Assomption sash, made in the 19th century with a multicolored zigzag design and long fringes, which sold for $12,800 above its high estimate of $700, and Four Northwest Coast halibut hooks, which sold for $6,400 above the high estimate of $800. The four metal hooks were made in the fourth quarter of the 19th century, three in the form of birds and one a human figure.

A decorated Hawaiian Water Storage Gourd, Umeke Pawehe | Gourd | 10.25 x 8 inches | Sold: $20,480

Additional auction highlights included A Tsitsistas/Suhtai (Cheyenne) Toy Beaded Cradle, which sold for $4,864 and included a beaded hide doll inside; A large Southwest Polychrome Storage Jar, which brought $4,608 and was decorated with a series of abstract designs divided by undulating bands in red and brown; and A Zuni Polychrome Jar, which sold for $4,352 and depicted rows of birds, rosettes, and banding.

Autry Museum of the American West: Masters of the American West

February 10 – March 24

Total: N/A

The 2024 Masters of the American West exhibition at the Autry Museum of the American West offered collectors an opportunity to take home paintings, mixed media, and sculptures by more than 60 nationally recognized artists. Signature festivities, held this year February 23 and 24, offered the chance to purchase artwork from the show, meet and mingle with the artists and other patrons, and attend discussions and panels.

Tony Abeyta, A Dark and Ominous Storm | Oil on Canvas | 60 x 48 inches | Sold: $50,000

Awards were presented for exceptional artistic merit during the event. Logan Maxwell Hagege’s Time and Space received the Best of Show Award and sold for $190,000, while Mateo Romero’s Misatay Series (Tewa for Church) earned the Chrystina and James R. Parks Trustees’ Purchase Award for inclusion in the Autry Museum’s permanent collection, and sold for $8,600.

Mateo Romero, Misatay Series | Oil on Canvas | 36 x 48 inches | Sold: $7,000

Tony Abeyta was recognized with both the John J. Geraghty Award for his contributions to contemporary Western art and the Thomas Moran Memorial Award for his painting A Dark and Ominous Storm, which sold for $50,000.

George Carlson, Autumn Burn | Oil on Canvas | 40 x 34 inches | Sold: $60,000

Other notable awards included Preston Singletary for sculpture, Walter T. Matia for wildlife art, and Kevin Red Star for narrative art.

George Carlson received the Gene Autry Memorial Award, while Greyshoes and John Moyers won the Artists’ Choice and Patrons’ Choice Awards respectively. Additionally, several artists were honored with Artist Excellence Awards sponsored by various publications and organizations, highlighting the diverse talent within the Western art community.

Kevin Red Star, Crow Indian Girl on Young Parade Pony | Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas | 60 x 48 inches | Sold: $45,000

Purchases support both the artists and the Autry’s programming, as one of the museum’s largest annual fundraisers.

Bonhams Skinner: American Art

February 26 – March 6

Total: $755,000

Bonhams Skinner’s American Art auction brought together a broad range of works, from a New Hampshire landscape by William Charles Anthony Frerichs to two remarkable Native American portraits by Joseph Henry Sharp. Other highlights include bronze sculptures by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, a sweeping English countryside landscape by Edward Darley Boit, and a dramatic illustration by N.C. Wyeth.

The top selling item was Wyeth’s And Looked Out Beyond the Tumbled Shore Ice to the Steel-Gray Angry Waters, which sold for $70,350, amid estimates of $50,000 to $80,000. The work was painted as an illustration for Stewart Edward White’s 1908 novel The Riverman, which is set in the dangerous world of a Michigan logging camp and tells the story of two young lovers.

N.C. Wyeth, And Looked Out Beyond the Tumbled Shore Ice to the Steel-Gray Angry Waters | Oil on Canvas | 25 x 25 inches | Sold: $70,350

Two works by a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists Joseph Henry Sharp were the second and third top-selling lots. Falling Arrow sold for $58,880, above its high estimate of $35,000, and Bawling Deer, Firelight and Daylight sold for $38,400, amid estimates of $30,000 to $50,000.

While Joseph Henry Sharp spent most of his artistic career painting scenes and portraits from the American West, his early artistic training occurred primarily in Europe. He studied in Munich, Antwerp, Paris, and Italy before returning to his home state of Ohio in 1890. He developed an interest in painting scenes of Native American people and life after an 1893 trip to Taos, New Mexico, and a later trip to Big Horn County, Montana, where he painted portraits of members of the Crow, Sioux, and Nez Perce tribes. These portraits were exhibited in 1900 in Washington, D.C., and some were later purchased by the Smithsonian Institution.

In 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned Sharp to paint portraits of Native American survivors of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Sharp initially lived part time in both Montana and Ohio before moving to Montana permanently when Phoebe Hearst, the mother of William Randolph Hearst, purchased 80 of the portraits and commissioned 75 more. In 1912, Sharp moved to Taos, New Mexico, where he and artist E. Irving Couse founded the Taos Society of Artists.

Joseph Henry Sharp, Bawling Deer, Firelight and Daylight | Oil on Canvas | 20.063 x 16.125 inches | Sold: $38,400

The fourth top-selling item was by Alfred Jacob Miller, Sioux Indian Eloping with a Squaw, which sold for $33,280, above the high estimate of $15,000. Miller accompanied Sir William Drummond Stewart (Scottish, 1795-1871), the 7th Baronet of Murthly, on Stewart’s 1837 expedition to the Rocky Mountains. The prolific collection of watercolor sketches that Miller created while on the expedition offers a unique, intimate record of the natural landscape of the American West and of early 19th-century Native American life. Miller later worked many of these sketches into full oil and watercolor paintings, many of which now hang in Stewart’s ancestral home of Murthly Castle, Scotland.

Rounding out the top items was a jewel-toned still life, Spring Blossoms in a Vase, by Albert Herter, which sold for $33,280.