Landmark Sale

Christie’s brings in more than $20 million with the T. Boone Pickens sale of iconic Western works.

The seasonal American art sales in New York City have always been huge draws for collectors of historic American art. Western artists such as Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell and John Clymer often get some attention at these sales, but they are usually overshadowed by their non-Western contemporaries. But on October 28, Christie’s put Western art to the very front of their seasonal sale, and then turned the spotlight on.

N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), Indian Love Call, 1927, oil on canvas, 46 x 69¼” Estimate: $2/3 million SOLD: $3,510,000The single-owner sale, The Legend of the West: Iconic Works from the T. Boone Pickens Collection, eventually closed to the tune of $20.4 million, and set a few records along the way. “It was a phenomenal sale,” says Tylee Abbott, Western specialist at Christie’s. “Obviously this has been a unique year, but this would be considered a strong sale even in a normal year. Everyone is really thrilled with the results.”

Not only did the sale top $20 million, but it also had a 92 percent sell-through rate and achieved several notable auction records. The top lot was N.C. Wyeth’s Indian Love Call, which sold for more than $3.5 million, clearing well over its $3 million high estimate. The work—large and vibrant, with a magnificent scene showing trees and a gentle river—generated lots of interest before the sale and received energetic bidding. Not far behind it was Frederic Remington’s The Buffalo Signal (If Skulls Could Speak), which sold for $2.9 million, just missing its $3 million low estimate.

G. Harvey (1933-2017), Boomtown Drifters, 1979, oil on canvas, 42 x 60” World Auction Record Estimate: $300/500,000 SOLD: $1,230,000One of the stars of the sale was G. Harvey, whose works, nine in all, realized more than $3.3 million. Boomtown Drifters, an iconic scene showing many of the artist’s most famous trademarks, sold for $1.2 million, shattering its $300,000 high estimate, and also crushing his previous world record of $516,500, set in 2018. Fifteen lots later, another Harvey, Rawhide & Thunder, sold for $750,000, more than doubling its $350,000 high estimate.

Another record breaker was Herman Hansen’s Attack on the Stagecoach (est. $80/120,000), which sold for $125,000. Hansen’s previous world record, $81,250, was set by the same piece in 2001.

Herman Hansen (1854-1924), Attack on the Stagecoach, 1908, oil on canvas laid down on board, 36 x 50” World Auction Record Estimate: $80/120,000 SOLD: $125,000Elsewhere in the sale was Thomas Moran’s Index Peak, Yellowstone, Wyoming (est. $700/1,000,000) that sold for $1.3 million; Remington’s bronze of Broncho Buster (est. $300/500,000) that sold for $562,500; Frank Tenney Johnson’s Wyoming Cattlemen (est. $250/350,000) that sold for $625,000; and Olaf Wieghorst’s Opening of the Cherokee Strip (est. $200/300,000), which sold for $225,000. Howard Terpning also produced fantastic numbers, with four pieces all selling above $350,000. The top Terpning was Flags on the Frontier, which sold at $990,000, just barely missing its $1 million high estimate.

Peter Hurd (1904-1984), The Baptising, 1969, tempera on Masonite, 27¾ x 48” Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD: $81,250

Other works that sold included stunning pieces from Bob Kuhn, Z.S. Liang, Tucker Smith, Martin Grelle, Clymer, Tom Lovell and a magnificent Peter Hurd painting, The Baptising, which sold over estimate for $81,250.

Christie’s T. Boone Pickens sale, October 28, 2020 (including buyer’s premium)

Artist Title Low /High Estimate SOLD
N.C. Wyeth Indian Love Call $2/3 million $3,510,000
Frederic Remington The Buffalo Signal $3/5 million $2,910,000
Thomas Moran Index Peak, Yellowstone, Wyoming $700/1,000,000 $1,350,000
G. Harvey Boomtown Drifters $300/500,000 $1,230,000
Howard Terpning Flags on the Frontier $700/1,000,000 $990,000
G. Harvey Rawhide & Thunder $250/350,000 $750,000
Charles M. Russell Roping a Wolf $700/1,000,000 $625,000
Frederic Remington The Broncho Buster $300/500,000 $562,500
Frank Tenney Johnson Wyoming Cattlemen $250/350,000 $550,000
G. Harvey Cowboy’s Dream $100/150,000 $500,000