Locked and loaded, March in Montana was dealt a huge, and last-minute, setback in 2020 when the pandemic and resulting shutdowns put a halt to their in-person sale in Great Falls, Montana. But the suddenly online-only sale soldiered on, and turned in some huge numbers that revealed high-quality Western art always finds a way into bidders’ hands.
Now a year out from that fateful 2020 spring, March in Montana is ready to march forward, and once again with an astonishing amount of high-quality Western materials, from paintings and bronzes to Navajo weavings and Native American beadwork. And this year they plan on holding in-person bidding, in addition to the online component that made last year’s sale a success.
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), Taos Landscape, oil on canvas, 30 x 36” Estimate: $60/90,000
“We are feeling really good about this year’s sale. Montana has been slowly opening up, as has the entire Pacific Northwest. We’re hopeful,” says Ron Nicklas with Coeur d’ Alene Galleries, which is partnering with the auction. “We’re really looking forward to seeing our friends and collectors. It seems like it’s been forever.”
This year’s sale will include around 740 lots spread out across two sessions, the first on March 19 and the second on March 20. The first session will take place on Charles M. Russell’s birthday, which is marked in Great Falls by Western Art Week, often referred to simply as Russell Week. The show will also take place at the Great Falls Elks Lodge, No. 214, which was Russell’s lodge.
Olaf C. Seltzer (1877-1957), Elk Herd, oil on elk hide, 52 x 38” Estimate: $15/25,000
William Gollings (1878-1932), The Line Riders, oil on canvas, 18 x 24” Estimate: $20/40,000
“On top of all that, and we do love those Russell connections, I think we have a better sale, a stronger sale, than last year,” Nicklas says. “Coming into November we were growing concerned because we weren’t seeing quite as many materials as we were wanting to see, but by the end of the month we got hit with quite a few nice collections that really helped round out our sale.”
Highlights include works such as Joseph Henry Sharp’s autumn scene Taos Landscape, estimated at $60,000 to $90,000. The work may depict Taos, New Mexico, but Sharp does very well in Montana, where he spent time on the Crow Agency in 1905, between his first trip to Taos in 1893 and the formation of the Taos Society of Artists in 1915. The work comes from a prominent collection in Wyoming.
Earle E. Heikka (1910-1941), Trophy Hunters, bronze, ed. 4 of 20, 15 x 52” Estimate: $8/12,000
Oleg Stavrowsky (1927-2020), The Advantage, oil on canvas, 24 x 30” Estimate: $2,5/3,500Another work with unique ties to Montana—and Great Falls, specifically—is Olaf C. Seltzer’s Elk Herd, which is painted in oil on an elk hide. Seltzer was a longtime resident of Great Falls, and worked closely with Russell. The painting, which has a decorative and illustrative quality to it with elk tracks and an elk skull above the scene, was originally auctioned at The Russell in the 1980s. The previous owner was casino owner Bill Harrah, who had to fly a bigger jet up to Great Falls to pick up the 52-by-38-inch painting. After arriving with the work in Las Vegas, Harrah displayed the work in his iconic Flamingo Hotel. The piece is estimated at $15,000 to $25,000.
Wyoming painter William Gollings will be represented in the sale with The Line Riders, a piece from 1908 showing three figures around a campfire in a field of snow. The work came at an important period for Gollings, who was slowly rising as one of the authentic painters of the West. The work is expected to sell between $20,000 to $40,000.
Don Oelze, The Hunted and the Hungry, oil on canvas, 48 x 34” Estimate: $15/25,000
The sale will feature a number of fantastic Earle Heikka bronzes, including Trophy Hunters, estimated at $8,000 to $12,000, in addition to works by Bob Scriver, John Fery and William Standing, an artist whose work achieved a world record of $118,000 at the 2020 sale.
Works by more contemporary artists include Don Oelze’s The Hunted and the Hungry (est. $15/25,000), Amy Brakeman Livezey’s Side by Side (est. $2,5/3,500) and Oleg Stavrowsky’s The Advantage (est. $2,5/3,500). Stavrowsky, the boundary-pushing Western painter who was a larger-than-life figure in Santa Fe, New Mexico, died in 2020 at the age of 93.
Amy Brakeman Livezey, Side by Side, mixed media on panel, 40 x 36” Estimate: $2,5/3,500
Navajo rug, ca. 1940, Teec Nos Pos weaving with four ventral stepped diamonds and serrated diamond designs, 83 x 50” Estimate: $4/6,000
March in Montana is also known for its Native American objects, including top-tier Navajo weavings, and this year is no different with more than 60 weavings being offered to bidders. One highlight in that category is a 1940s Teec Nos Pos weaving with an intricate diamond design that is expected to sell between $4,000 and $6,000.
“This year we have a wide range of pieces that would be perfect for collectors and decorators alike. With our variety, it would be hard not to find the perfect piece to decorate your home or lodge. Whether you’re looking for historic pieces or contemporary works we will have something to fit your space.” Nicklas says.
In addition to the sale being held on March 19 and 20, there will also be a dealer show that runs from March 18 through 20. It will feature dealers from around the country offering Western materials of all kinds.
March in Montana
March 18-20, 2021
Dealer show and auction,
March 18-20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Auction, March 19-20, 11 a.m.
Great Falls Elks Lodge, No. 214
500 First Avenue South
Great Falls, MT 59401
(208) 664-2091
www.marchinmontana.com
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