Auction Preview | Coeur d’Alene Art Auction

Reno, NV
Peppermill Resort, July 23

Carl Rungius, Rams on the Alert, oil, 25 x 30. Estimate: $200,000-$300,000.

Carl Rungius, Rams on the Alert, oil, 25 x 30. Estimate: $200,000-$300,000.

This story was featured in the July 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

With combined sales reaching nearly $240 million over the last 10 years, there’s little doubt that this year’s Coeur d’Alene Art Auction will once again be a high point in the western art world. Of course, the event’s highlight is the auction itself, which takes place on Saturday, July 23, beginning at noon. But the weekend also includes a cocktail party on Friday, July 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., a Saturday preview at 9 a.m., and a brunch served at 10:30 a.m. Each event is a prime opportunity for collectors to see the auction’s masterworks up close before they come up for sale.

“It’s a buyer’s market this year,” says Mike Overby, head of the auction. “From looking at some of the spring sales, there will be a few bargains out there. I think people will be pleasantly surprised at what they can get.”

The auction is known as a market leader in the sale of works by Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), and this year is no exception. The 300 auction lots include 20 from the western master. THE TENDERFOOT, foremost among these, is an 18-by-24-inch oil that depicts “a quintessential frontier town with cowboys—who have probably been in a saloon too long—harassing an eastern tenderfoot. It’s a comical, fun painting,” Overby observes. It has been in a single family’s collection for more than a hundred years. It comes to market with an estimated price of $700,000-$1 million.

The work of Carl Rungius (1869-1959) is also a specialty of the auction. Overby says the auction has the strongest collection of his work that it’s had in a decade, including the 28-by-36-inch oil painting titled BULL MOOSE, estimated to sell for $200,000-$300,000. Ten paintings by legendary wildlife artist Bob Kuhn (1920-2007) also cross the block, including the dramatic SIBERIAN TIGER, valued at $100,000-$150,000. “Both the time period and the strength of the image make it stand out. He didn’t do a lot of tigers, so when he did, it created a stir,” Overby says.

The auction also has several pieces from the estate of western sculptor Harry Jackson (1924-2011). The headliner, STAMPEDE, is a large-scale bronze valued at $80,000-$120,000. The auction also features two works from sought-after early American artist Albert Bierstadt, including YOSEMITE VALLEY LOOKING TOWARD CATHEDRAL ROCKS, estimated at $150,000-$250,000. Pieces by Frank Tenney Johnson, E.W. Gollings, and the Taos Society of Artists, among others, round out the historical collection, for which the auction is known.

The auction also includes several pieces from contemporary, blue-chip artists, such as Howard Terpning, Z.S. Liang (who painted a piece specifically for the auction), Ken Carlson, and Michael Dudash. Terpning’s work is estimated to sell for several hundred thousand dollars, while Liang’s piece is expected to sell for $60,000-$90,000. The latter two artists’ work is valued in the $20,000-$30,000 range.

Those wishing to attend can purchase tickets (also expressing an intent to bid) by calling the auction office. The tickets, $120 for two people, include a catalog and admission to all of the weekend’s events. Bidders may also participate via phone and online bidding. —Ashley M. Biggers

contact information
208.772.9009
www.cdaartauction.com

This story was featured in the July 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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