John Moran’s Art of the American West
Contemporary and early-20th-century Western artists will be represented in John Moran’s upcoming Art of the American West sale.
Monrovia, CA
More than 200 lots of Western and Native American artwork will arrive at auction during John Moran Auctioneers’ December 12 Art of the American West sale. Taking place at 2 p.m. in the Monrovia, California, showroom, the auction will include jewelry, basketry, weavings, paintings, photography and prints at a variety of price points to appeal to every level of collector.
Early New Mexico artists will be among the standouts of the sale. Sheldon Parsons, who settled in Santa Fe in 1913, is represented by a study for Autumn in New Mexico, which is expected to sell between $5,000 and $7,000. The piece, measuring just over 15 by 19 inches, is an oil on board depicting a lush autumnal landscape in an impressionistic style. Prominent in the painting are golden hues and characteristics of the high desert lands. Two pieces by Richard Mason from the estate of Nancy Chandler will arrive at auction: Low Lying Clouds (est. $4/6,000) and New Mexico Landscape #3 (est. $2/4,000).
Taos Society of Artists member Joseph Henry Sharp is often recognized for his Native American portraits. In this sale will be a small-scale portrait of a Native American man that measures just 13 by 9 inches. The piece, from 1903, is expected to sell between $5,000 and $7,000.
Sculpture also is prominent in the sale, including works by the late Arizona artist Dave Mcgary. As the auction house explains, included will be “Trophies of Honor (Kangi Yatapai), which will head to the auction block with at $6,000 to $8,000 auction estimate. Gray Hawk’s Legacy, a dynamic work by the artist depicting a Sioux warrior absconding with two Crow war horses, will also be offered for $7,000 to $10,000.”
Another piece coming to market is Ray Swanson’s Helping Grandma, 1982, which depicts a young girl helping her grandmother
tend to the sheep in their yard. The work has a presale estimate of $8,000 to $10,000. “Western genre works include a watercolor and gouache by Olaf Wieghorst, who spent a considerable amount of time traveling through the West many times on horseback,” the auction house explains. “Wieghorst’s depiction of a cowboy in woolly chaps on horseback caught in a snowstorm is expected to bring between $2,000 and $4,000.”
Public previews for the Art of the American West are scheduled for December 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; December 8 and 9 from noon to 4 p.m.; December 10 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and prior to the auction on December 12 beginning at 10 a.m.