Heritage Auctions’ Art of the West
Dallas, TX
On September 7, Heritage Auctions hosted its second Art of the West sale to much fanfare from collectors, who drove the day’s total to more than half a million dollars in sales. Leading the auction were pieces from two beloved artists in the Western art world: Robert Pummill and Glenna Goodacre. Multiple bidders pursued Pummill’s Teamwork and Goodacre’s Crossing the Prairie, pushing the prices to $40,000 each to share the top lot honors.
Goodacre’s sculpture was one of four items that were consigned from her private collection, and its price within presale estimates of $30,000 to $50,000 was the highest earner of the group. A second work by the artist, titled Spotted Tail, rounded out the top 10 when it sold for $8,750. Pummill’s Teamwork, which landed above its estimate range of $25,000 to $35,000, exemplifies his fascination with the
Western way of life.
From a private collector in Montana was Don Crowley’s Twilight, which far surpassed expectations during the sale. The piece, estimated at $4,000 to $6,000, shot to a total of $23,750 after more than two dozen bidders made plays for the painting. Also landing well above its presale estimate was Hollis Williford’s Warrior and Rattlesnake (est. $2,5/3,500), which sold for $13,125 to become
the fifth highest-earning lot of the sale.
Tucker Smith was prominent in the auction, with 10 works hitting the market. The standout of the bunch, Feeding on the Miller Place (est. $15/25,000) came in within estimate at $21,250, while another of his pieces, A Break (est. $7/10,000) sold for $9,375. Both landed in the top 10 lots at numbers four and eight, respectively.
“The attention spent and prices realized in this auction reflect the increased popularity of Western art,” says Alissa Ford, Heritage Auctions’ director of Western art, “and Heritage Auctions is proud to be immersed in the groundswell of popularity. Based on the quality of works being consigned, that presence will only continue to grow.”