Hot Streak

Four years after unveiling a historic solo show at Legacy Gallery, John Coleman returns to do it again.

They say slow and steady wins the race, and John Coleman would know. His first solo show at Legacy Gallery, back in 2016, took a year to produce. But it came with big rewards: a sold-out opening event, accolades from all around the Western community and more than $1.3 million in sales.

John Coleman in front of his charcoal work The Oracle II.

His follow-up would come four years later, on November 14, 2020, and would arrive after nearly two full years of planning and intense periods of productivity in the studio. And it would arrive in a pandemic, no less. But, slow and steady wins the race, and Coleman once again made history, this time to the tune of more than $2.1 million.

1876, Gall – Sitting Bull – Crazy Horse, oil on canvas, 45 x 66½” SOLD $318,000

“I have to admit I was surprised. I didn’t know what to expect. The only thing I knew going into it was that I did the best I could,” Coleman says. “There seemed to be a lot on the line going into the show, but I didn’t want to have too many expectations based on history. It was only later on in the evening when I finally went, ‘Wait a minute. I think this might be a good show.’”

Raven’s Gift, oil, 23 x 28”

The 2020 show, Spirit • Lives • Legends, featured 21 works: 16 oil paintings, a larger-than-life charcoal work and four bronzes, including an 8-foot-tall monument. Although the show wasn’t a sell-out on opening night—three oil paintings are still available—it overperformed on several fronts, including with the bronzes, many of which sold out their editions. The monument, for instance, He Who Jumps Over Everyone was priced at $180,000, and all five in the edition sold. Three of the buyers even indicated they wanted to exhibit the bronze inside their homes. Elsewhere in the show, Coleman’s 1876, Gall – Sitting Bull – Crazy Horse was offered via silent bid. It sold at $318,000. For a comparison, Coleman’s world auction record is $299,000.

He Who Jumps Over Everyone, bronze, ed. of 5, 88”

“We are overwhelmed with the reception of the show and the overall sales total. We felt if we could do $1 million we’d be thrilled. So now we’re twice as thrilled. Just elated,” says Brad Richardson, Legacy Gallery owner. “Certainly the oil pieces did very well, but even the bronzes did really great. From the big piece, He Who Jumps Over Everyone, selling all five of those, to even some of the smaller ones. [Crazy Horse, 1876] sold all 20, and we have names for even more.”

Lakota Bear Cult Leader, oil, 55 x 32”

Sister Moon, bronze, ed. of 20, 35 x 10 x 11”

Coleman, who was supported by many friends and family at the show in Scottsdale, Arizona, said he plans to take some time off and enjoy some relative peace and quiet, but he also said he’s growing fond of some of the teaching opportunities that have come up during the pandemic, especially Zoom classes.

Crazy Horse, 1876, bronze, ed. of 20,27 x 18 x 12”

“These things were there for us before now, but now we have a reason to use them, and it’s been great. Months back Paul Moore asked me to participate in his class out in Oklahoma, so we used Zoom and it was wonderful and so easy. Since then I’ve done Facetime, Skype and whatever else. These things are great tools,” Coleman says. “I think of these things as silver linings opportunities. And they can help Western art, and allow it to be presented in a way that people will have access to until things return to normal. I think it’s important to be ready to embrace new things, wherever they may come from.”