Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874-1952), The Hunters, Taos, oil, 35 x 40. Estimate: $750,000-$1,250,000. SOLD: $1,562,000 (Artist Auction Record).
Scottsdale Art Auction achieves more than $13.8 million in sales and a strong sell-through rate.
Held April 14 and 15 at Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Scottsdale Art Auction was an anticipated event for collectors as they vied for more than 400 lots across a variety of categories. Historic and contemporary artists were represented in the sale with everything from traditional cowboy paintings to wildlife art and still lifes. Both sessions moved at a steady pace and had solid prices across the board.
Paintings by members of the famed Taos Society of Artists proved to be popular with collectors, with the top lot being the gorgeous work THE HUNTERS, TAOS, by Oscar E. Berninghaus. The painting, depicting a quieter moment of Native Americans in a forested area while on a hunt, was expected to have fanfare with a presale estimate of $750,000 to $1,250,000. It set a new world auction record for a painting by the artist at $1,562,000 (all sold prices include the buyer’s premium).
TAOS LOVE CALL by E.I. Couse also had its share of excitement, achieving $702,000 against an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000. The work is now the third highest selling painting by Couse at auction. Other standouts from the artist group included a second by Couse titled INDIAN BOY AND BRAVE LOOKING AT A BLANKET (est. $400,000-$600,000) that sold for $526,500 and HOUSES WHERE THE PENITENTES LIVE by Joseph Henry Sharp (est. $100,000-$150,000) at $234,000.
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- John Coleman, Gall, Sitting Bull, & Crazy Horse, 1876, bronze, ed. 8/9, 36 x 56. Estimate: $65,000-$85,000. SOLD: $245,700.
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- E.I. Couse (1866-1936), Taos Love Call, oil, 34 x 46. Estimate: $300,000-$500. SOLD: $702,000.
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- Martin Grelle, Meat Seekers at the Teewinot, oil, 44 x 58. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000. SOLD: $386,100
Contemporary artists also saw collectors’ continued interest in the “New West.” Four works by Mark Maggiori hit the block, with SONS OF BLUE LAKE (est. $50,000-$75,000) landing at $175,500. Works by Ed Mell, Jerry Jordan, Logan Maxwell Hagege and Jeremy Winborg also found buyers. Among the highlights were Hagege’s 30-by-50-inch painting THE GUIDE, which bested its presale estimate of $50,000 to $75,000 when it sold for $99,450; Mell’s closeup cactus painting DESERT ROYALTY (est. $25,000-$35,000) at $64,350; and Winborg’s I AM THE STORM (est. $18,000-$24,000), which sold above estimate at $40,950.
More traditional artwork by Howard Terpning and Martin Grelle also held the attention of bidders. Terpning’s BUFFALO RUNNERS landed above its presale estimate at $269,100, while Grelle’s MEAT SEEKERS AT THE TEEWINOT (est. $150,000-$200,000) was the fifth highest selling lot in the auction with its price of $386,100. A slate of John Coleman bronzes pleased on both days of the sale, with his top seller at the auction being the 36-inch-high GALL, SITTING BULL, & CRAZY HORSE, 1876, edition 8 of 9. The estimate of $65,000 to $85,000 was shattered when the piece brought in $245,700.
“We are extremely pleased with the results of this year’s very diverse sale,” says Brad Richardson, owner of Legacy Gallery and one of the partners of Scottsdale Art Auction. “We ended up averaging above the high estimates. With selling 98 percent of our lots, we can conclude the Western art market is still very strong.” In all, the auction totaled $13,816,289.
For more information about Scottsdale Art Auction and to view any unsold works, visit www.scottsdaleartauction.com.