Out in the Wild
A stunning variety of Western works will be available to bidders May 15 during Altermann’s Santa Fe sale.
century street scenes, from small towns in Texas to major cities such as New York City and London.
Thomas Hill’s 1880 oil Yosemite Valley will be available, with estimates of $75,000 to $125,000. Hill, one of the great landscape painters of the 19th century, was one of the earliest painters to capture Yosemite’s iconic landmarks. Though his star was fading when this piece was created, the artist was still painting exceptional work that spoke to the beauty and grandeur of the American landscape. Today, his work of Yosemite is coveted by both collectors and museums.
Also at the sale will be Ed Mell’s Pink Rose, a magnificent floral still life that measures 44 inches across. The Phoenix-based artist is known for his more abstracted views of his subjects, including Arizona landscapes and desert florals, but for Pink Rose he takes a more realistic approach with an exceptional amount of detail. The work is estimated at $25,000 to $35,000. Altermann currently has Mell’s
world auction record, which was set at a sale in 2018 when a landscape sold for $108,000.
Other works at the Santa Fe sale include William Acheff’s still life Pueblo Lore (est. $22/28,000); Gary Carter’s Western scene One Night Stand (est. $22/32,000); and two works by Elias Rivera: The Second Act (est. $20/30,000) and Before the Past (est. $22/28,000). Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, Rivera spent a great deal of time in the Southwest and Central America, where he painted images of working-class people, including Native Americans.
Also in the sale is Thar’s Rendezvous by notable Western artist and illustrator Frank Mccarthy. The work shows dozens of riders as they gallop through a valley stream. Riders in the far distance are in pursuit, which gives viewers enough detail to begin to formulate their own narrative. The work is estimated at $30,000 to $50,000.