Auction Preview- Southwest Art

Jackson, WY, is well known and oft visited for its abundant wildlife and incomparable Rocky Mountain scenery, so the fact that it’s home to a world-class auction known for sporting and wildlife art comes as little surprise. This month Trailside Galleries of Jackson and Gerald
Peters Gallery of Santa Fe partner to present the 11th annual Jackson Hole Art Auction, with over 350 lots of both contemporary and historic fine art up for bid in two sessions, beginning at noon on both Friday and Saturday, September 15-16.
 

This year’s headlining lots include Edgar Payne’s NAVAJO SCOUTING PARTY, a 28-by-34-inch oil estimated to sell for between $400,000 and $600,000. “This is one of the most important Payne paintings I’ve seen come on the market in some time,” says auction partner
Roxanne Hofmann Mowery. “We also have one of his important Sierra Nevada pieces called BLUE SHADOWS,” a 42-by-42-inch oil estimated to sell for $150,000 to $250,000.

“A collector of E. Martin Hennings will find incredible offerings,” Mowery notes. A collection of 25 oil paintings, charcoal drawings, and lithographs, which spans the breadth of the Taos Society of Artists member’s career, includes the 1917 painting TAOS PUEBLO, a 10-by-14-inch oil estimated to sell for $30,000 to $50,000, and SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS MISSION CHURCH, TAOS, a 10-by-12-inch oil ($20,000-$30,000). Also up for bid are a casting of Frederic Remington’s THE CHEYENNE ($80,000-$120,000) and works by Charles M.
Russell, E.I. Couse, Henry Farny, William Gollings, Carl Rungius, Clark Hulings, Gerard Curtis Delano, W.H.D. Koerner, and one of only three stagecoach works that Arnold Friberg painted during his career.
 

“One of the signatures of our sale is our wildlife offerings, and this year is no exception,” says Mowery. “We have a number of important paintings by Bob Kuhn,” including AFTER THE SHORT RAINS, a 20-by-48-inch acrylic of a pride of lions resting in the shade of a tree,
which is estimated to sell for between $200,000 and $300,000. Also of note are six significant paintings from the estate of Stanley Meltzoff, known for his sport-fishing and precendent-setting sea-life paintings.

“We are also known for our new offerings by contemporary artists,” Mowery notes. “Last year Bonnie Marris’ painting was estimated to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000, and it sold for over $140,000, a world record for her.” This year, Marris brings BORN TO BE WILD, a 36-by-48-inch oil of a mother bear and two cubs estimated to go for $25,000 to $35,000. “For the first time we have a painting by Mark Maggiori,” Mowery adds. RIDERS IN THE STORM, a 34-by-46-inch oil, is estimated to sell for between $15,000 and $20,000. “And a fabulous Jenness Cortez, who is known for her homages to historic artists,” she adds. “A NEW WORLD references a large Frederic Remington in it.” Other contemporary offerings include works by William Acheff, T. Allen Lawson, Luke Frazier, and Robert Bateman.

Previewing for the Friday session opens at 10 a.m. on Thursday, and the Saturday session lots are on view beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday. “The sale itself has become a destination auction,” Mowery sums up. “People love to come to the sale because it’s held during the Fall Arts Festival, when there are major shows at galleries and the museum. It’s a very fun event.” —Laura Rintala