Heritage Auctions | December 3, 11 a.m. | Dallas, TX

Western Hits

Paintings by leading Western artists cross the block during Heritage Auctions’ December 3 sale of American art.

On the heels of a strong June American Art Signature Auction, Heritage Auctions will present its next sale in the category on December 3. Featuring a diverse array of American paintings and sculpture, the auction’s Western items should not be missed. There will be masterworks coming to market from William R. Leigh, Oscar E. Berninghaus, Thomas Moran and more.William Robinson Leigh (1866-1955), The Best in the Bunch, 1941, oil on canvas laid on aluminum, 42½ x 60½” Estimate: $300/500,000

Taking place at 11 a.m., this sale marks the first official auction in Heritage’s new showroom near the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The in-person component of the sale will follow all guidelines for safety, and there will be continued off-site bidding through telephone, absentee and the company’s online platform, which has long been popular with collectors, but seen an uptick with virtual sales over the past year.Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874-1952), Open Country, oil on board, 28 x 22” Estimate: $60/80,000

“The Western market is incredibly strong right now. We’ve seen high sell-through rates, over 90 percent, and people are bidding online,” says Alissa Ford, director of Western art at Heritage. “I think learning how to bid online has opened the doors to many collectors, old and new.”

Leading the Western lots in this sale is Leigh’s The Best in the Bunch, a 1941 painting that arrives to auction from the estate of Philip R. Jonsson of Dallas. Jonsson was the consignor of the record-setting Leigh painting Home, Sweet Home, which Heritage sold in 2011 for $1.195 million. The Best in the Bunch was originally purchased by Eric Jonsson, who was the mayor of Dallas from 1964 to 1971, before it descended in his family. The painting, featuring many of the artist’s most popular themes, is estimated at $300,000 to $500,000.Gerard Curtis Delano (1890-1972), Afternoon in Autumn, oil on canvas, 26 x 31” Estimate: $30/50,000

A rare landscape painting sans figures by Gerald Curtis Delano is also an interesting item available in the auction. Titled Afternoon in Autumn, the painting is a large-scale work carrying an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. Describing the piece, Ford says, “It was done in Colorado when he had a studio there. He was working on illustrations for Western Story magazine…It feels so serene to me, and the light in it is so majestic.”Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922), Bluebonnet Field, 1921, pastel on board, 5½ x 8½” Estimate: $40/60,000

Other notable paintings in the sale include Thomas Moran’s Mountain Lion in Grand Canyon (Lair of the Mountain Lion) (est. $500/700,000); Oscar E. Berninghaus’ Open Country, which has an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000; and Laverne Nelson Black’s painting Fiesta in Taos, estimated at $40,000 to $60,000, which s being sold to benefit the Couse-Sharp Foundation. A small-scale pastel by Julian Onderdonk titled Bluebonnet Field will also be available in this sale with an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.

There are a number of Western bronzes hitting the market led by Leigh’s Buffalo (est. $15/25,00), Joe Beeler’s Chief Goes to Washington (est. $12/18,000) and Dave McGary’s Not Afraid of Pawnee, which has an estimate of $10,000 to 15,000. —

American Art Signature Auction
December 3, 11 a.m.
Heritage Auctions, 2801 W. Airport Freeway, Dallas, TX 75261
(214) 528-3500, www.ha.com