Show Preview | Jackson Hole Art Auction

Jackson, WY
Center for the Arts, September 13-14

Robert Bateman, Elk and Aspen, acrylic, 48 x 60. Estimate: $80,000-$120,000.

This story was featured in the September 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

A REGAL, antler-crowned elk emerges from the pale, almost otherworldly mist of his woodland environs, calmly making his way past a thin, lone aspen trunk. It’s easy to imagine hearing only the whistling of the wind in this hushed winter scene by Canadian naturalist and wildlife artist Robert Bateman. “It’s a classic Bateman painting,” says Trailside Galleries’ Roxanne Hofmann of the substantial acrylic work, entitled ELK AND ASPEN, which is up for bid this month—along with hundreds of other contemporary and historic masterworks in the wildlife, western, landscape, figurative, and sporting-art categories—at the 13th annual Jackson Hole Art Auction.

Presented by Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Gallery, the reputable sale has always been known for its stellar wildlife offerings, and according to Hofmann, an auction partner, those offerings are better than ever this year. “I can unequivocally say that this is the strongest sale in wildlife art we’ve had, and it’s due to securing three major collections from the Jackson Hole area. These works are really fresh to the market,” she enthuses.

: Bob Kuhn, Cat on the Qui Vive (1996), acrylic, 20 x 36. Estimate: $150,000-$250,000.

: Carl Rungius, Alaskan Wilderness, oil, 40 x 50. Estimate: $400,000-$600,000.

: Thomas Hart Benton, Cowboys at Corral (1931), graphite/watercolor/gouache, 20 x 29. Estimate: $400,000-$600,000.

Boasting around 500 lots in total, the auction opens with a no-reserve sale at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, September 13, at the Center for the Arts in downtown Jackson, WY. Geared toward emerging collectors, says Hofmann, the first sale is “an opportunity for someone to come in, buy some very renowned artists, and let the market be the marketplace.” Session two, held in the auction’s traditional format, gets underway on Saturday at the same time.

With strong offerings across all categories, both sessions are sure to keep bidders on their toes. In addition to Bateman’s work, noteworthy paintings in the wildlife realm include ALASKAN WILDERNESS, one of two major oils on offer by preeminent wildlife artist Carl Rungius (1869-1959). Hofmann describes the 40-by-50-inch tour de force, which is expected to fetch up to $600,000, as “a superlative example of his later works, of his more mature and impressionistic style.” Also on the block are two stunning portrayals of large cats by wildlife artist Bob Kuhn (1920-2007). “Kuhn loved cats,” notes Hofmann, “and he depicts the cat with such an elegance that reveals his love for them.” Notably, Kuhn’s CAT ON THE QUI VIVE—a piece commissioned by its original buyer—makes its debut on the market with an estimate of $150,000-$250,000.

: Charlie Dye, Remuda, oil, 30 x 40. Estimate: $70,000-$100,000.

: Mark Maggiori, Cowboys at Work, oil, 36 x 36. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000.

: Olaf Wieghorst, The Last March, oil, 20 x 26. Estimate: $50,000-$75,000.

Auction-goers can also look forward to a slew of major western works like COWBOYS AT CORRAL by American Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975). “It’s one of Benton’s very rare western pieces,” says Hofmann of the graphite, watercolor, and gouache work, which is selling for $400,000-$600,000. Meanwhile, an action-packed scene entitled REMUDA by cowboy artist Charlie Dye (1906-1972) is estimated to sell for $70,000-$100,000. “It’s been in a California collection for decades, and I think it’s one of the most dramatic and substantial Charlie Dyes to come on the market in some time,” says Hofmann.

As always, the sale also indulges art lovers with a number of new works by today’s top western artists, including Bruce Cheever, Martin Grelle, Logan Maxwell Hagege, Z.S. Liang, Mark Maggiori, and Bonnie Marris. With such tempting offerings, collectors need no added incentive to attend the sale. So the fact that the auction coincides with the wildly popular Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival is simply icing on the cake. “We’ve become quite a destination sale,” says Hofmann. “People love to come and spend the week in Jackson for the festival, and our two sales are the culmination of the week.” —Kim Agricola

contact information
866.549.9278
www.jacksonholeartauction.com