The Sporting Art Auction


4201 Versailles Road, Lexington, Kentucky 40510
859-233-3856

About Auction House

With demand for fine sporting art confirmed, Keeneland and Cross Gate Gallery will conduct an annual Sporting Art Auction every November. This year's auction will feature 175 high-quality lots representing fine sporting art, American paintings and sculpture from renowned artists. The Sporting Art Auction represents an inspired collaboration between Keeneland, the world's premier Thoroughbred auction house and Cross Gate Gallery, the country's leading source for fine sporting art and contemporary British figurative painting. Keeneland offers the perfect venue in its state-of-the-art Sales Pavil...Read More
ion as well as its auctioneering expertise.Read Less

Auction Previews & News

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  • Auction Preview
    Auction of Dogs in Art & Sporting Art at Doyle

    On Tuesday, February 13 at 10am, Doyle will hold an auction of Dogs in Art® including The Sporting Art Collection of James W. Smith. Coinciding with the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the auction offers over 200 lots of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints and other objects devoted to dogs, horses and sporting art. Edmund Henry Osthaus (American, 1858-1928), The First Lesson - A Setter and Her Six Pups. Est. $30,000-50,000.Doyle A special section of the auction is devoted to The Sporting Art Collection of James W. Smith (1941-2018), master breeder of smooth fox terriers and board chairman of the American Kennel Club. In 1956, James W. Smith entered his first dog show, and by the time he was honored by the American Kennel Club as Breeder of the Year in 2012, he had produced more than 50 champions, Best in Show dogs, national and regional specialty winners, and numerous group winners. An American Kennel Club judge and a delegate for 26 years, he was chairman of its board from 1994-95. He also was president of the Dalmatian Club of America and the American Fox Terrier Club, which honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Arthur Wardle (British, 1860-1949), Two Wire Haired Fox Terriers in a Wood. The Estate of James W. Smith. Est. $10,000-15,000.Doyle One of the most widely known dog painters, Arthur Wardle (1860–1949) was just 16 when he first exhibited at the Royal Academy in London, eventually showing 100 paintings there during his life. He is particularly known for his depictions of terriers, such as Two Wire Haired Fox Terriers in a Wood (est. $10,000-15,000) and Terriers on the Scent, 1900 (est. $8,000-12,000). French artist Charles-Olivier de Penne (1831-1897) studied art in Paris under Léon Cogniet and Charles-Emile Jacque. He initially specialized in historical paintings, winning the Prix de Rome for his depiction of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, before focusing on sporting paintings, which were highly sought-after by collectors during his lifetime. Hounds in the Snow is a marvelous example of the work for which he is best known (est. $8,000-12,000). Born into a family of sporting painters, British-American artist Maud…