WHILE SKEPTICS DOUBT THE NATION’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND WORLDWIDE NEWS HEADLINES CONTINUE TO REPORT FINANCIAL STRUGGLE, THE ART WORLD SHOWS SIGNS OF POSITIVE GROWTH. Credit it to a love of beauty or a gambler’s penchant for betting against the odds, but numbers in the American art market reflect an increase in sales over last year.
Worldwide, both leading auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s European sales illustrate a buoyant climate with record sales of top-end artists. Records have been set for Manet, Picasso and Giacometti over the last quarter and there are rumblings that collectors are becoming more comfortable spending discretionary income again.
Domestically from coast to coast, art sales and auctions prove that the summer art season continues to improve.
Scottsdale Art Auction
April 10, 2010Resounding the call of economic recovery that rallied this spring, the crowd at the sixth annual Scottsdale Art Auction was a standing-room only group of enthusiastic buyers. Overall, the sale totaled $8.8 million, setting a record for Western Art sales so far in 2010.
Event host, Brad Richardson, of
The Legacy Gallery and his partners gathered some of the highest quality works for big-name contemporary and deceased artists, from Martin Grelle to Norman Rockwell. Top-sellers at the event included an oil painting by Charles M. Russell,
Smoking Them Out (estimated at $1,800,000 to $2,800,000) that was fiercely contested by three telephone bidders and fetched $3,151,000. Other lots of special interest included Henry Fanny’s gouache,
Checking the Trail, (estimated at $300,000 to $500,000) that brought $494,500; Ernest Blumenschein’s
Taos Canyon Group, hammered down for $322,000; Norman Rockwell’s oil,
If Mother Could Only See Me Now sold for $276,000, well above the high estimate and Olaf Wieghorst’s
Payday, (estimated $75,000 - $100,000) that reached $149,500.
A highlight in the first session of the auction was a surprise bidding war for a rare collection of small-scale, replica Western wagons by
Dale Ford. Competition for the collection of 24 wagons quickly surpassed the high estimate (estimated at $70,000 - $120,000) and concluded with a telephone buyer at $506,000, making Ford one of the top-sellers of the weekend.
Richardson noted that the event was a high point in the art market and hopes to see the trend continue.
Altermann Galleries and Auctions
June 19, 2010Kicking off the summer season in earnest, Altermann Galleries’ June 19th auction in Santa Fe realized $1.6 million in sales. One of the highlights was a small gouache by Henry Farny entitled
Fairy Tales, a depiction of the Zuni Pueblo, which realized a healthy $192,000. Joseph Henry Sharp’s oil painting
Rendezvous for the Rabbit Hunt brought $201,000. Gerard Delano’s depiction of Navajo sheepherders,
Family Affair, exceeded its high estimate by ending up at $34,800.
In the wildlife category, Rembrandt Bugatti led the pack with his bronze sculpture,
Les Deux Chacals, depicting a pair of African wild dogs, reaching $138,000. Top-ranking contemporary Western artists produced excellent results. James Bama’s oil,
Shoshone Chief, sold for $67,200, and his watercolor,
Zandra Apple Sioux, brought $48,000. Roy Andersen’s magnificent oil portrait,
The One Called Braveheart, was hammered down at $42,000, including the buyer’s premium. Arnold Friberg, an artist whose work seldom comes to the market, had his oil painting,
Glimpse of Geronimo, sell for $51,000.
Master of Western action paintings, Frank McCarthy, had three offerings and all sold, with the top lot being
Along the Rim, which brought a very strong $60,000. In the non-Western category, G. Harvey had three paintings and a bronze that performed well. One of the top crowd pleasers was
Bowl of Oats, by Morgan Weistling, that brought $24,000. Two of Texas’ best-known landscapes surpassed presale estimates and approached near-record prices of $31,200 for Porfirio Salinas’
Hill Country Bluebonnets, and $25,200 for Robert Woods’
Hill Country Bluebonnets.
“We are pleased with the continued improvement in the art market,” commented Richard Altermann. “Our two auctions so far this year have exceeded last year’s same date events. It’s very encouraging for all of us, and that includes dealers, collectors and artists.”
Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale
June 17, 2010Excitement was in the air as families came to Oklahoma City’s National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum to pick out their favorite piece of art in the
37th Annual Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibit and Sale. Grandparents and grandchildren as well as moms and dads were seen posing in front of their purchases making this a great family event that grossed an amazing $3.3 million the first evening of sales.
“We were, of course, thrilled with the dollar totals,” said museum president Chuck Shroeder. “Having that broad level of excitement among collectors and artists was an important signal for not only the National Cowboy Museum and the
Prix de West, but for the Western art world. Our artists brought their best work and collectors enthusiastically responded.”
Ohs and ahs were heard as patrons were greeted by Greg Beecham’s
The Chase, a 30-by-50-inch painting of white wolves, which won the Nona Jean Hulsey Rumsey Buyers’ Choice Award as well as the Major General and Mrs. Don D. Pittman Wildlife Art Award. The buzz about The Chase was heard all weekend in comments such as “It’s as if it is in 3D” and “It seems as if the wolves could jump right out of that painting.”
Christopher Blossom’s painting,
Sunrise in the Golden Gate; Downeaster Benjamin F. Packard, took the prestigious Prix de West Award, which includes the purchase price plus an additional $5,000 cash prize. The painting becomes a part of the permanent collection of the museum.
George Carlson, known for his sculptural work, took a double prize when his painting,
Labyrinth of Space, took the Frederick Remington Award, and again when participating artists voted his three paintings as their favorite body of work, giving him the sought-after Robert Lougheed Memorial Award.
Sculptor Tim Shinabarger of Billings, Montana, was awarded the James Earle Fraser Sculpture Award for his bronze,
Clash of Thunder, which he said was one of the most challenging sculptures he has created. This marks the fourth time he has received this award. The Great American Cowboy Award, by the Express Ranch, was bestowed on artist Howard Post of Queen Creek, Arizona, for his oil painting,
Working The Remuda. Artist Martin Grelle, always a favorite with Western art collectors, sold his 46-by-58-inch painting,
Apsaalooke Foot Soldiers, at a minimum bid sale for $151,800; its wall price was listed at $90,000.
A special tribute at Saturday night’s awards banquet honored four
Prix de West artists who passed away this year: Morris Rippel, James Reynolds, Pino, and most recently, William F. Reese.
The
Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition runs through September 6, 2010.
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA)
Modern Art and Design
May 23, 2010Opening to a standing-room-only crowd of 300 collectors from all over the globe, LAMA recorded its largest attendance yet and sold a total of $1.67 million. In the 450 lots presented on the auction block were big names, such as Andy Warhol, Francois-Xavier Lalanne, etchings by Damien Hearst, a custom rug by Frank Lloyd Wright and Sam Maloof furniture.
Four pieces that stood out as surprises were the Francois-Xavier Lalanne Monkeys, doubling the low estimate of $100,000, realizing $199,062.50. Three other interesting lots that far exceeded their expectations were the Pipsan Saarinen Swanson Group of Outdoor Furniture realizing $14,700 (est. $3,000 – $5,000), and Charles and Ray Eames’
Hang-it-all, realizing $8,575 (est. $2,000 – $3,000).
Sotheby’s American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture, New York
May 19, 2010Reinforcing the place of Western art’s cultural importance in American history, the works of Frederic Remington, Nicolai Fechin, Childe Hassam and Charles Schreyvogel were offered alongside significant pieces from Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt and Marsden Hartley in an auction that totaled $31, 927, 625.
Relatively speaking, this was a slow day at Sotheby’s compared to monumental sales in London in June, but the highlight of the event was Georgia O’Keeffe’s
Black Petunia And White Morning Glory I, which sold well above the high estimate for $4.1 million. A subtle Oregon landscape from Childe Hassam, titled
Harney Desert, exceeded the estimated $300,000 at a hammer price of $446,500. An unusual bronze from Frederic Remington,
Mountain Man, also topped the high-selling category for the sale with a final price of $1,082,500.
Sotheby’s representatives expect continued strong sales for the coming summer and fall season as a result of recent successes.
Bonhams and Butterfields Made in California Sale, Los Angeles
May 3, 2010Heralding the strength of a recently bolstered California art market, this eclectic sale earned more than $1.4 million.
Highlights of the auction included a bronze nude by Robert Graham (est. $40,000–$60,000) that sold for
$97,600;
Ruth Asawa’s looped-wire sculpture sold for
$91,500, nearly double the high estimate of $50,000; and an abstract bronze by Guy Dill, (est. $7,000–$9,000) that realized $39,650.
As California’s oldest and largest auction house, Bonhams & Butterfields continues to break world-record auction prices for contemporary art. “We offered great work and people responded. We had our highest sell through rate ever,” said Holly Sherratt, a specialist in Modern and Contemporary art.
20th Annual Cattlemen’s Western Art Show, California
March 26–28, 2010When the results came in they were a testament to record sales and attendance at the
20th Annual Cattlemen’s Western Art Show. Sales revenues were up about 40 percent over 2009 and daily attendance showed about a 50-percent increase, according to estimates. Additionally, the overall quality of artwork at the event was generally considered to be the best ever.
Sculptor Pedro Ramos of Loveland, Colorado, was presented the artists’ choice award, a vote of confidence from his fellow exhibiting artists. Attendees selected Laura Talbot of Owens Valley as the People’s Choice award winner.
Bob Coronato, who splits his residences between Hulett, Wyoming, and Atascadero, California, was the featured artist. He has been referred to as one of the nation’s fastest-rising artists, and the paintings and etchings he exhibited at the show were a popular attraction.
The event was held at the Paso Robles Event Center. Proceeds benefitted the San Luis Obispo Cattlemen’s Association’s youth agricultural projects.
