Pack Horse Men Repelling an Attack by Indians by Frederic Remington.
Recent shows & auctions post robust results
By Kristin Hoerth
It’s been a spring full of success in the art world. Kicking off the month of April, the Scottsdale Art Auction—held on April 6 in the sprawling showroom above Legacy Gallery on Scottsdale’s Main Street—reported total sales of over $11 million. More than 500 enthusiastic collectors and art appreciators attended the one-day sale, along with telephone and internet bidders, to vie for nearly 400 lots of western, wildlife, and sporting art from important 19th- through 21st-century artists.
Almost 90 percent of the lots found buyers. The top lot was a black-and-white oil painting by Frederic Remington, PACK HORSE MEN REPELLING AN ATTACK BY INDIANS, which was estimated to sell for $500,000 to $700,000 but realized $1,035,000. Perhaps most notable were the numerous record prices set for living artists: Martin Grelle’s PRAYERS OF THE PIPE CARRIER, estimated at $200,000-$300,000, sold for the impressive sum of $488,750. G. Harvey’s NEW YORK, NEW YORK, estimated at $120,000-$180,000, sold for $281,750. And John Coleman’s RAINMAKER, estimated at $40,000-$60,000, sold for $97,750.
Other strong sales included Bob Kuhn’s HIGH STAKES RACE, estimated at $100,000-$150,000, which sold for $218,500. Gerard Curtis Delano’s CAMP FIRE IN THE VALLEY, estimated at $120,000-$180,000, sold for $258,750. Two wildlife pieces by Philip Goodwin, THE BIG THRILL and IT’S A BEAR, each estimated at $80,000-$120,000, sold for $138,000 and $126,500, respectively.
Add these impressive results to those achieved at other events in March—such as The Russell in Great Falls, MT, where Tom Gilleon’s HAIR APPARENT was estimated at $50,000-$60,000 and sold for an astounding $225,000—and it’s clear that the auction market has started off the year in encouraging fashion.
Meanwhile, the most recent major event (at press time) was Greenhouse Gallery’s annual Salon International show in San Antonio. Although sales results aren’t available as of this writing, the list of award-winning pieces selected by judge Max Ginsburg is impressive. Best of show went to William Suys [see page 152], second place went to Gregory Mortenson, and third place went to Elizabeth Robbins. Merit awards went to Ivan Roosskiy, Carlo Cosentino, Shirley Gipson, Marci Oleszkiewicz, and Margaret E. Jensen; publisher/vendor awards went to Jacob Dhein, Donna Schneider, Sara Scribner, Cesar Santos, Michael Davis, Sue Gilkey, and Gavin Glakas. Many other awards, including honorable mentions and jury awards, were handed out as well.
By the time you read this, the Oil Painters of America national show will likely be in full swing, followed closely by the Prix de West Invitational [see page 36] in early June. Here’s hoping the spring successes continue into the summer and beyond!
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