06 Sep Auction Block: Icons of the West

Summer auctions and events saw enthusiastic participation from attendees and absentee bidders, proving that the interest in Western American culture remains rooted in its iconic imagery, be it traditional realism or more modern interpretations.

The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction sold more than $17.6 million during its July sale in Reno, Nevada. The auction house also established multiple world records for artists. Works by Philip R. Goodwin, William R. Leigh, Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington, and Howard Terpning led the way. The top-selling item was a painting by Goodwin, Dangerous Sport, which brought $786,500.

In August, the highly anticipated Santa Fe Indian Market celebrated another outstanding year of Indigenous artistry. During the 102nd event, nearly 1,000 juried artists sold their artwork to collectors from across the globe. By Sunday afternoon, more than 100 artists’ booths had sold out, according to the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. From among the many talented artists exhibiting their work, Dan Vallo (Acoma Pueblo) won Best of Show for 2024 for creating a rendition of weapons used by Pueblo warriors during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.

Additionally, Freeman’s | Hindman offered a collection of Native American and Southwestern jewelry from the Hoffman Birney collection, which drew significant interest and saw items far exceed their presale estimates.

102nd Santa Fe Indian Market

August 17 – 18
Total: N/A

The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) announced the award-winning artists from the 102nd Santa Fe Indian Market. This year, SWAIA received over 1,300 submissions and more than 1,000 Indigenous North American artists participated in the prestigious event. Best of Show, Best of Class, and Special Award winners were announced during a ceremony on Friday, August 16, after more than 50 judges reviewed and critiqued this year’s entries the day prior.

Dan Vallo, Pueblo Revolt Ensemble | Obsidian Flint, Yucca Cord, Juniper, Wild Turkey Feathers, Bow String, Rawhide, Red Cedar | 66 x 14 x 5 inches | Best of Show 2024 and Best of Classification, Diverse Arts

Dan Vallo (Acoma Pueblo) won Best of Show for 2024. His piece Pueblo Revolt Ensemble replicates weapons used by many Pueblo warriors during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, a revolution fought against the Spanish and the only successful Native uprising against a colonizing power in North America. The Pueblo Revolt kept the Spanish out of New Mexico for 12 years and established a different power dynamic upon their return. It holds great historical significance because it helped ensure the survival of Pueblo cultural traditions, lands, languages, religions, and sovereignty, according to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Vallo’s piece, which also won the top award in the Diverse Arts Classification, includes a dagger with an obsidian flint-knapped point and a handle of yucca cord encased in clear resin. The juniper bow incorporates more than 150 wild turkey feathers as its backing and a hand-twisted bowstring. The rawhide quiver holds arrows made from red cedar.

Sarah Aragon, Back in the Saddle — Horse Headstall | Handcrafted Sterling Silver, Leather, Mediterranean Coral, Castle Dome Turquoise, Morenci Turquoise, Kingman Turquoise, Persian Turquoise, and Carico Lake Turquoise | 33 x 9 x 6 inches | Best of Classification, Jewelry

Since 1922, the prestigious Native North American art market has awarded Best of Show winners to exceptional artists in various juried categories. This year’s classification winners include Sarah Aragon (Navajo Nation) in Class I: Jewelry for Back in the Saddle — Horse Headstall, a handcrafted sterling silver and leather headstall inlaid with Mediterranean coral and five varieties of turquoise; Garrett Maho (Hopi) in Class II: Pottery for Gentle Rain, a hand-built pot polished with stone, glazed with natural pigments, and dung-fired; Johnson Yazzie (Navajo Nation) in Class III: Painting, Drawing, Graphics & Photography for AM 660 Afternoon, a painting depicting a man listening to a handheld radio while watching over his flock of sheep with his dog; Arthur Holmes Jr. (Hopi) in Class IV: Wooden Pueblo Figurative Carving & Sculpture for Chasing Star — Na-ngashu Katsina, a katsina carved from a cottonwood root, “a handsome figure who usually appears during mix-dance,” according to the artist; Ryan Benally (Navajo Nation) in Class V: Sculpture for Feathered Prayers, a sculpture inspired by the Navajo feather ceremony made of Italian marble, black granite, and stainless steel; Isabel Gonzales (Jemez Pueblo/Walatowa) in Class VI: Textiles for her hand-embroidered ladies’ manta that uses both hand-spun and commercial yarn; Monica J. Raphael (Grand Traverse Ottawa/Chippewa) in Class VIII: Beadwork & Quillwork for Indede Odayi — My Dad’s Horse, which incorporates materials the artist harvested including woodland porcupine quills and birchbark; Aydrian Day (Ho-Chunk, Anishinaabe, and Lakota) in Class IX: Youth for HoCak Manape, an otter turban and medicine bag; and Caleb Hoffman (Cherokee/ Penobscot) in Class XI: Basketry for Embers, an 8-inch hand-pounded ash point basket with sweetgrass that teacher Jeremy Frey inspired.

Arthur Holmes Jr., Chasing Star — Na-ngashu Katsina | Cottonwood Tree Root, Oil Paint | 16.5 x 5.5 inches | Best of Classification, Wooden Pueblo Figurative Carving & Sculpture

Additional awards went to Wayland Namingha Jr. (Excellence in Traditional Hopi Carvings), Ernest Benally (Excellence in Lapidary), Mark Taho (Excellence in Contemporary Hopi Carvings), Robert Patricio (Traditional Pottery Award), Garrett Maho (Mark Tahbo Memorial Award), Jared Tso (Tony Da’ Memorial Award), Suyma Maho (Make Me Smile Youth Award), Nancy Youngblood (Margaret Tafoya Memorial Award), Daniel Begay (Sarafina Tafoya Memorial Award), Sergio Lugo (Mela Youngblood Memorial Award), Thomas Tapia (Oqwa Pi Memorial Award for Excellence in Traditional Pueblo Painting), Xavian Suazo (Anita Da’ Memorial Award to Encourage the Work of a Young Potter), Adrian Wall (IAIA Alumni Award), and Merlin Little Thunder (The Native American Art Magazine Award of Excellence).

Bonhams: California & Western Art

August 6
Total: $1.6 million+

Leading Bonhams’ California & Western Art auction, which totaled more than $1.6 million and took place on August 6 in Los Angeles, was a vibrant still life by Franz Arthur Bischoff [1864-1929] titled Roses. The painting sold for $445,000, amid estimates. Bischoff’s elegant renderings of florals would ultimately earn him the moniker “King of the Rose Painters,” and this particular work had been extensively exhibited.

Franz Arthur Bischoff, Roses| Oil on Canvas | 40 x 50 inches | Sold: $445,000

The second top-selling item was The Sea, Laguna, a dynamic scene of waves crashing into the California coastline by Guy Rose [1867–1925]. The painting brought $254,500, amid estimates of $200,000 to $300,000. As one of California’s few native-born plein-air painters, Rose, who spent time in the French art colony of Giverny with Claude Monet, applied the tenets of French Impressionism to the familiar setting of his home state.

A work by Hungarian-American painter Joseph Kleitsch, First Street at Legion, sold for $102,100 as the third top-selling item. The painting depicts a scene close to where Kleitsch and his wife Edna built a home and studio with sweeping ocean views sometime between 1922 and 1923.

William Ritschel’s Purple Tide also sold for $102,100. The California impressionist painter was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria. His seascapes of the California coast and his scenes from his trips to the South Seas were immensely popular.

Guy Rose, The Sea, Laguna | Oil on Canvas | 24 x 29.25 inches | Sold: $254,500

Jean Mannheim’s The Fairy Tale achieved a new auction record for the artist, selling for $95,750. The painting depicts Jeanne and Eunie Mannheim reading in the garden.

Additional items achieving high sums include Selden Connor Gile’s Afternoon Sailing off Tiburon ($44,800), Jack Wilkinson Smith’s In the High Sierras ($33,000), Gile’s A Waterfall in the Woods ($28,160), Ciura Obata’s Evening Glow ($28,160), and Edgar Payne’s Brittany Harbor ($20,480).

Coeur d’Alene Art Auction

July 27
Total: $17.6 million+

The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction sold more than $17.6 million during its July auction in Reno, Nevada, and set multiple world records for artists. Works by Philip R. Goodwin, William R. Leigh, Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington, and Howard Terpning led the way. The auction realized a sales rate of 93 percent for 404 lots.

Howard Terpning, Army Mules No More | Oil on Canvas | 30 x 50 inches | Sold: $514,250

Coeur d’Alene has set the bar for Goodwin works, bringing over $ 4.1 million in sales since 2020. In keeping with this theme, the top-selling item was a work by the artist, Dangerous Sport, which brought $786,500. The painting, rife with tension and uncertainty as a hunter encounters a grizzly bear, brought the second-highest price at auction for the sporting artist.

Leigh’s Embarrassed (Range Pony in Town) brought $665,500, the highest auction price for the famed painter in four years. The painting depicts a cowboy being bucked and embarrassed by his horse while townspeople look on. In his unpublished memoirs, Leigh wrote, “With his payoff money in his pocket, the cow-puncher does not keep his head very long. Usually drunken men, when thrown, aren’t hurt — they merely afford amusement to the onlookers.”

Other exemplary results include Russell’s The Ambush ($605,000) and Terpning’s Army Mules No More ($514,250). And to round out the top five items, Remington’s The Rattlesnake, #21 sold for $484,400, which represents the second-highest total for the iconic bronze at auction.

The largest single-auction event in the Western and American art field saw 42 lots eclipse the $100,000 price point. In addition to the strong performance by Goodwin’s Dangerous Sport, two other paintings by the artist surpassed the six-figure threshold: An Unexpected Game — a painting of “timber cruisers” surveying the land for available logging — brought $229,900; and When Seconds Count — a sporting scene — sold for $102,850.

The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction sold nearly $1.7 million of Terpning’s works, including Army Mules No More, the 2024 catalog cover piece. Five additional works by the artist eclipsed six figures: Lady of the House ($484,000); Gathering at Dawn ($332,750); Sits Besides Me Wife ($242,000); and Huachuca Pond ($108,900).

The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction also presented A Western Legend: Works from the Red McCombs Collection at this year’s auction. McCombs was born in rural West Texas and his professional interests were wide-ranging, including auto dealerships, oil and gas, communications, and sports franchises; his collection was as robust as his business acumen.

Overall, the works from the McCombs Collection grossed nearly $3.5 million. Some highlights include Remington’s A “Wind Jammer” ($350,900) and Boots and Saddles ($254,100); John Clymer’s Trader at Pierre’s Hole Rendezvous ($332,750); Oleg Stavrowsky’s Rolling Through the Longhorns ($272,250) — which established a world record for the cowboy artist after a feverish bidding war; and Nicolai Fechin’s Portrait of a Girl ($217,800).

William R. Leigh, Embarrassed (Range Pony in Town) | Oil on Canvas | 30 x 40 inches | Sold: $665,500

Charlie Russell brought strong results, as five works by the legendary Montana artist eclipsed the six-figure mark during the auction. Bronc Rider, an action-packed watercolor, brought $272,250. Other highlights include The Breaks ($145,200); Crow Scout on Pinto Pony ($133,100); and The Combat (The Battle) ($121,000). Overall, works by Montana’s favorite son grossed more than $1.6 million.

Also of note, all three of Thomas Moran’s works exceeded expectations, with Monterey Coast ($453,750) leading the way, followed by Yellowstone Lake ($205,700), and The Magic Pool ($114,950). And Taos Society of Artists founder William Herbert Dunton had a strong showing with three quintessential works: The Signal-Fire ($193,600), which set off a spirited bidding war; and both Return from the Hunt ($157,300) and Big Game Hunter, ($84,700), which surpassed presale estimates.

Other highlights include: Frank Tenney Johnson’s Riders Loping In ($272,250); popular contemporary artist Mark Maggiori’s works, which totaled $240,790; Andy Warhol’s Teddy Roosevelt ($229,900), which set a world record for a piece from the Cowboys and Indians (1986) series; Gerard Curtis Delano’s The Council ($229,900); Remington’s The Broncho Buster, #33 ($169,400); Deborah Butterfield’s Jane ($145,200); and Harvey Dunn’s The Homesteaders ($114,950).

The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has specialized in the finest classical Western and American Art since 1985. The auction principals have over 100 years of collective experience in the field and have sold more than $400 million worth of art in the last 20 years.

Freeman’s | Hindman: Native American and Southwestern Jewelry

July 11
Total: $300,000+

This July, Freeman’s | Hindman offered a collection of Native American and Southwestern jewelry from the Hoffman Birney collection.

Navajo Second Phase Concha Belt | Silver and Leather | Belt Length 37.5 inches | Sold: $25,400

Birney [1891–1958] was an American author and New York Times book critic known for his contributions to Western-themed literature. Part of what made this collection desirable was the role he played in America’s cultural fascination with the West in the early part of the 20th century; but even more so was that the pieces he collected were already rare when he was buying them in the 1920s, according to the auction house.

Unlike most of his contemporaries, Birney amassed an impressive collection of late 1800s pieces which have gone from rare to exceedingly rare nearly 100 years later. The collection had remained in family hands until the auction, making this the first time most of these pieces had been available to the public in a century.

Bidders responded with gusto, sending lots well beyond their estimates and breaking auction records along the way. All 46 lots from the collection sold for a combined total of more than $307,000 (including the buyer’s premium).

Early Navajo Ingot and Turquoise Squash Blossom Necklace | Silver and Turquoise | Necklace Length 24.5 inches | Sold: $15,240

The top-selling items were Navajo concha belts. A Navajo First Phase Concha Belt sold for $25,400, exceeding its high estimate of $10,000. The belt features seven round conchas, each with scalloped edges and heavily chiseled designs, and a matching rectangular buckle. And a Navajo Second Phase Concha Belt also sold for $25,400, far exceeding its high presale estimate of $4,000. This belt also features stamped and chiseled designs and incorporates a lightly repousséd center.

Also exceeding expectations from the Birney collection was a Navajo ingot and turquoise cuff bracelet with a Maltese cross from circa 1900. The cuff sold for $22,860, above its high presale estimate of $4,000.

Charles Loloma, Large Silver Figural Pendant with Mosaic Inlay | Silver, Leather, Turquoise, Coral, Lapis, Malachite, and Ironwood | 4 x 1.5 inches | Sold: $13,970

Contemporary highlights that were not part of the Birney collection include a Charles Loloma figure pendant with mosaic inlay, which sold for $13,970, between its estimates of $10,000 to $15,000; and a Preston Monongye tuff-cast cuff featuring 14-karat gold and Lander turquoise, which sold for $24,130, above its high estimate of $10,000.