On May 15, Altermann Galleries & Auctioneers will present an astonishing collection of Western artwork to bidders during its annual sale in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As with all of its sales, Altermann will offer the auction on a number of online bid platforms so collectors can follow along and make bids from anywhere in the world. 
G. Harvey (1933-2017), Spinnin’ Yarns, 1970, oil on linen, 30 x 40” Estimate: $75/100,000
The sale will feature a wide variety of Western artwork, including images of the Old West, the contemporary West, cowboys and cattle, Native Americans, florals and still lifes, landscapes, sporting art and wildlife. 
Thomas Hill (1829-1908), Yosemite Valley, 1880, oil on canvas, 36 x 54” Estimate: $75/125,000
Ed Mell, Pink Rose, oil on canvas, 36 x 44” Estimate: $25/35,000
One early standout is G. Harvey’s Spinnin’ Yarns, a 1970 oil work estimated at $75,000 to $100,000. The piece shows a group of cowboys that have gathered around a glowing campfire as they tell stories and smoke cigarettes, maybe as they wait for their chow or a pot of coffee. The work has a unique composition for a Harvey painting, with a more central structuring of the subjects that pulls the eye outward from the center to reveal an expansive sky and lots of desert vegetation in the foreground.
William Acheff, Pueblo Lore, oil on canvas, 28 x 36” Estimate: $22/28,000
Harvey, who died 2017, has been a huge draw at auction for the last decade with collectors pulled to his scenes that speak to life in Texas, including those of cowboys in yellow slickers, oil fields and packhorses riding through wintery mountain landscapes. Harvey is also known for his turn-of-the-century street scenes, from small towns in Texas to major cities such as New York City and London.
Olaf Wieghorst (1899-1988), Sheriff’s Posse, oil on canvas, 30 x 36” Estimate: $30/50,000
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.
Frank McCarthy (1924-2002), Thar’s Rendezvous, 1974, oil on panel, 30 x 30” Estimate: $30/50,000
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.
Lastly, Olaf Wieghorst’s Sheriff’s Posse will be offered with an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. The work is an exceptional example of the painter’s ability to depict horses with three horses in three separate poses, each one adding to the composition and drama of the work. Wieghorst, a favorite among Western collectors, would frequently boast of his ability to paint a horse without a reference, be it photo or live model. A former cavalry rider himself, Wieghorst once said he cried when the U.S. Cavalry retired the horse.
Altermann’s auction will take place May 15, and interested bidders are encouraged to check the website prior to the sale to verify times and locations of in-person bidding.
Altermann Galleries & Auctioneers’
Santa Fe Sale
May 15, 2020
345 Camino Del Monte Sol,
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
(855) 945-0448, www.altermann.com
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