Randy Van Beek, Blackfoot Sentinels at Square Butte Camp, oil, 33 x 54. Estimate: $18,000-$22,000.
Various locations, Great Falls, MT
March 14-16
Embarking on its 54th year, C.M. Russell Museum’s annual art auction and foremost fundraiser, The Russell, promises a memorable Western art experience for collectors and art enthusiasts alike. This year’s edition happily marks the event’s return to its traditional mid-March date. Postponed for five months in 2020 due to the pandemic, it was temporarily rescheduled by the museum to an August affair through 2023.
“Now we are very excited to get back to the weekend where we started—that weekend right around Charles M. Russell’s March 19 birthday,” says Duane Braaten, the museum’s director of art and philanthropy. “It’s a celebration not only of the man, the artist, but also the legacy that Charlie Russell left for all of us.”
Donna Howell-Sickles, The Last Bugle Call, mixed media, 24.5 x 44. Estimate: $9,000-$10,000.
Held concurrently with Western Art Week in Great Falls, Montana, the museum’s three-day event kicks off on Thursday, March 14, with the 5 p.m. ticketed Art Preview Party conducted at the museum. This year’s artworks—a stellar selection of 250 historic and contemporary pieces—are on view in four galleries, exhibited at the museum since February. “People love seeing old friends and meeting new ones,” remarks Braaten about the preview, adding that of the show’s total approximately 175 artists from the past and present, “roughly 150 contemporary artists are represented, many of whom are in attendance that weekend.”
The ever-popular Art in Action, essentially a modified quick draw, is the first of two live auctions that take place the following day, Friday, March 15. Ticketed guests watch and interact with 26 artists as they complete their works in progress from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Meadow Lark Country Club. The finished pieces—including those by participating artists Colt Idol, Jeremy Winborg and Jennifer Johnson—are then auctioned off immediately, with the entire sale proceeds donated to the museum. Later that evening, at 5 p.m., the First Strike Friday Night auction of about 80 lots of smaller contemporary works, designated at a more modest price-point, gets underway at the Heritage Inn convention ballroom.
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- Colt R. Idol, Thunderstruck, oil, 30 x 54. Estimate: $8,000-$11,000
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- Luke Frazier, Hunting Tales of Yesteryear, oil, 36 x 34. Estimate: $25,000-$35,000
Saturday heralds the museum’s lively main auction of “significant historical works and distinguished contemporary art,” also taking place at the Heritage Inn. Preceding it is the morning’s 9 a.m. Educational Symposium, a free event at Expo Park focused on offering invaluable insights into Western art appraisals. Starting at the 4 p.m. auction launch, collectors have the opportunity to bid on historic pieces by Charles M. Russell, Olaf Seltzer, Joseph Sharp, Philip R. Goodwin and Edgar S. Paxson.
Contemporary standouts include Luke Frazier’s nostalgic oil HUNTING TALES OF YESTERYEAR, which Braaten identifies as “a big draw for our audience. It’s a painting that makes you feel like you’re right there in the scene itself.” Further highlights include Tom Gilleon’s arresting Native American portrait; the electrifyingly dramatic THUNDERSTRUCK by Colt Idol; and the majestic landscape BLACKFOOT SENTINELS AT SQUARE BUTTE CAMP by Randy Van Beek.
An poolside after-auction party rounds out the night’s fun. As Braaten enthusiastically affirms, “The momentum is there, and the excitement is in the air for The Russell of March 2024.” —Christine Proskow
contact information
(406) 727-1939
cmrussell.org
This story appeared in the February/March 2024 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.