Show Preview | California & Western Auction

Los Angeles, CA
Bonhams, April 8

Eanger Irving Couse, The Cornhusker, oil, 8 x 10. Estimate: $25,000-35,000.

Eanger Irving Couse, The Cornhusker, oil, 8 x 10. Estimate: $25,000-35,000.

This story was featured in the April 2014 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art April 2014 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

This month, Bonhams auction house hosts the first of its three annual auctions featuring California and western paintings and sculpture. The company organized the first-ever auction of California paintings in the early 1980s and has been a strong force in the market ever since, offering works by artists ranging from 19th-century names such as Thomas Hill and William Keith to Impressionist-era painters such as Edgar Payne, William Wendt, and Guy Rose. “California and western paintings and sculpture is a collecting category that Bonhams almost single-handedly introduced to the world stage,” says Scot Levitt, Bonhams’ vice president and director of fine arts in Los Angeles. “No one sold California paintings exclusively before then and for 10 years later,” he adds.

This month’s auction features about 155 lots and 92 artists. Collectors can preview the works in the auction March 28-30 in San Francisco and April 4-7 in Los Angeles. The auction begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, in Los Angeles with a simulcast in San Francisco. “Clients can bid in person at either location, but the property will be in Los Angeles the day of the auction,” Levitt explains. There are also online, telephone, and 
absentee bidding options available.

One of the highlights of the auction is an oil painting by Granville Redmond titled ANNANDALE WILDFLOWERS, which is estimated to sell for between $250,000 and $350,000. Works by Redmond performed very well at last year’s April auction—SPRING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, a colorful example of Redmond’s pointillist style, sold for $446,500; while his plein-air painting 
titled VALLEY SPLENDOR sold for $134,500.

Other noteworthy lots in the upcoming auction include William Wendt’s painting titled THE TOP OF THE HILL NEAR SAN LUIS OBISPO, 1926, which is estimated to sell for between $50,000 and $70,000, and Eanger Irving Couse’s piece titled THE CORNHUSKER, estimated at $25,000 to $35,000. “We are continuously taking in wonderful works by 19th-century artists, American Impressionists, and western and California regionalist painters and sculptors,” Levitt says. “The market for these works has been strong and steady in recent years, and we look forward to successful 
results on April 8th.” —Lindsay Mitchell

contact information
323.850.7500

www.bonhams.com

Featured in the April 2014 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art April 2014 print issue or digital download Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!

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