Heritage Auctions’ American Art Sale
Dallas, TX
Frederic Remington’s Bronco Buster has become an icon of the Western art world. Its image of the bucking horse and rider can be emblematic of both the Wild West and life on the ranch. The original work is so popular that it has been cast nearly 300 times since it was created in 1895. Shortly before the artist died in 1909, he made a 1½-scale plaster model of the piece that modified the design slightly. Significantly, the rider no longer carried a whip but his arm was outstretched farther. Only 19 casts were made of this larger scale work, including one that will hit the market during Heritage Auctions’ November 1 American Art sale.
The cast, measuring nearly 33 inches, arrives from the collection of another famed artist and illustrator Mort Künstler. The early sculpture is a rarity, according to Alissa Ford, director of Western art at Heritage Auctions, because of its scale and low number of editions. It is expected to sell between $500,000 and $700,000.
Along with this piece from Künstler’s collection, coming from a private consignor is one of the artist’s own works. When You Can’t Hide Your Tracks, 1982, is a winter scene depicting a Native American hiding behind snow-covered trees as cowboys approach on horseback. The painting has a presale estimate of $6,000 to $8,000.
As a whole, the American Art auction will feature approximately 240 lots, with around one-third of the sale dedicated to Western art. “I would say that the selection of contemporary Western art is extremely strong, with [work by] Howard Terpning,
Clyde Aspevig, Tucker Smith and Jim Wilcox,” says Ford. “On the historic side we have [William] Gollings, W.R. Leigh, Remington, [Edward] Borein—two nice little ones.”
From Terpning is the painting Jicarilla Apache Riders (est. $200/300,000), which the artist painted in one of his most significant years. “The Terpning is really interesting because it was done in 1975, and that’s the year he turned his focus full time onto art rather than commercial illustration,” Ford explains. “He was completely devoted to Western art at the time.”
It is also a significant work because it arrives fresh to the market from collectors who purchased the painting from Terpning in 1975. In this piece, Terpning’s adeptness for painting the historical West is highlighted as he turns from his typical depiction of the Northern
Plains Indians to the Southern Plains people.
Another work that is new to the market is Leigh’s The Last Watering Hole, 1912, which arrives at auction from a family that has owned the piece for more than 70 years. A consummate storyteller, Leigh often highlights the hardships of life in the West, with this painting being no exception. “Oftentimes Leigh would create these stories on canvas that he had heard by campfire, so we suspect that this was one of the stories that he was told, but who knows,” says Ford for the painting that carries an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000 “It’s a monumental piece, large scale and absolutely belongs in a museum, I think.”
A painting by Fremont Ellis titled Fall Aspens in Hyde Park National Park is another standout piece in the auction. Depicting the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the monumental work is a highly detailed and showcases the colors of the Southwest. It is a fresh example having been purchased directly from the artist and descended through the consignor’s family. It has a presale estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. Describing the work, Ford says, “It’s very New Mexico. It has these fabulous aspen trees that have a golden feel and you can tell
it’s the autumn light. It’s just stunning. There’s a little moon and light over the aspens; it’s so nice.”
Bob Kuhn is also represented in the sale with the painting Leopard in Tree, an oil on Masonite that has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. “It’s so abstract in the background and there’s hyperdetail to the coat of the leopard that’s phenomenal,” Ford notes. “The realism set against this abstract background is a very unique juxtaposition of styles.”
Also in the sale are Frank Mccarthy’s In the Badlands (est. $12/18,000); Tucker Smith’s Glacier Goats (est. $30/50,000); Robert Pummill’s Santa Fe Trappers Leaving Bent’s Fort (circa 1840) (est. $30/50,000); Maynard Dixon’s Joaquin Murietta (est. $15/25,000); and Highland Clouds by Ed Mell, which has an estimate of $7,000 to $10,000. Frank Tenney Johnson’s Dick Dickson (California Ranchero) is another standout at $100,000 to $150,000, as is G. Harvey’s When the Cowboys Come to Town Houston 1900, with an estimate of $120,000 to $180,000.