Anyone who’s ever stood at the foot of the Tetons, or the rim of the Grand Canyon, or the low valley near the Vermilion Cliffs, could tell you how vast the West is. What’s not so obvious is how quiet and delicate it can all be, from the horses grazing in twilight to cowboys hunkered over a warm fire to a Native American hunter perched on a hill with his eyes on the prairie below him. It’s that union—the big and the small, the vast and the close, the epic and the intimate—that has driven collectors to Western art for more than a century. 
Charles Schreyvogel (1861-1912), A Close Call, oil on canvas, 25¼ x 34” Estimate: $750/1,250,000
Those qualities will be on view at the Scottsdale Art Auction when it offers more than 400 works of Western art to collectors. The sale begins April 9 with Session I, followed the next day, April 10, with Session II, where many of the fireworks are expected with bidders.
“This year’s sale is looking really great, especially because we have a great cross section of pieces, going way back to George Catlin all the way up to Frederic Remington and Charlie Russell, and into the Taos Society of Artists, and then even up to some of the great living artists working today,” says auction partner Michael Frost, who runs the auction alongside long-time Western dealers Richardson and Jack Morris. “We’ve always been very satisfied with what we bring in and this year is no exception.”
William Herbert “Buck” Dunton (1878-1936), Three Montana Cowboys, oil, 26 x 20” Estimate: $175/225,000
One of the top highlights in the sale is a large oil from action painter Charles Schreyvogel. The work, A Close Call, shows two Native American riders on a horse as they cross paths with a military scout. Schreyvogel, famous for painting guns pointed right at the viewer, paints two revolvers in A Close Call and though they never threaten the viewer, the painting suggests mortal danger is just seconds away. The New Jersey artist had a relatively short career and produced fewer than 100 studio works before his death at 51 years old. Action scenes of this quality and size are rare at auction, Frost says. “They just don’t come up very often at all,” he adds. “Smaller ones are more frequent, but this one is a very nice size.”
E. William Gollings (1878-1932), Cheyenne Winter Camp, 1922, oil, 24 x 18” Estimate: $300/500,000
Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), Star King Mountain, oil, 14 x 19” Estimate: $300/$500,000
Other major works up for grabs are five paintings by Albert Bierstadt, including Starr King Mountain (est. $300/500,000), which shows one of Yosemite National Park’s most distinguishing natural landmarks. The work is likely to draw interest from bidders who have seen Mount Starr King, Yosemite, a major work by the artist in the permanent collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The works bear a striking similarity, both in their subject matter and grandeur. 
W.H.D. Koerner (1878-1938), Rocks Leave No Tracks, 1934, oil on canvas, 34 x 30¼” Estimate: $25/35,000
Howard Terpning, Hunting, 2012, oil on board, 20 x 27” Estimate: $275/325,000
Works from Taos Society of Artists will play a significant role, including several pieces by TSA founder William Herbert “Buck” Dunton, the tall and lanky cowboy of the group. Dunton’s pieces in the sale will run the gamut, from the high-action scene of Three Montana Cowboys (est. $175/225,000) to more modern landscapes feaured in Gold of Autumn (est. $30/50,000) to the moody campfire scene Evening Meal – The Hunter’s Supper (est. $45/85,000). Joseph Henry Sharp will be represented by Hunting Son and Eagle Star (est. $125/175,000) showing two prominent Taos artists, and Oscar E. Berninghaus will be featured with a work titled Forgotten (est. $60/90,000) showing one of his famous hitching post scenes.
Mark Maggiori, The Sarapes, oil on canvas, 29 x 36” Estimate: $28/38,000
Charles Russell (1864-1926), The Battle at Belly River, 1905, oil on canvas, 18¼ x 22½” Estimate: $250/350,000
A major E. William Gollings work, Cheyenne Winter Camp, from 1922, will also be available to bidders. The piece was painted during a bittersweet period for the artist, who was living in Sheridan, Wyoming, at the time. Gollings was going through a painful divorce, but he was also creating some of the best work of his career. The work is estimated at $300,000 to $500,000.
Other historic pieces include two Carl Rungius wildlife works, Grizzly Bear (est. $200/300,000) and Old Men of the Ram River (est. $175/225,000); Birger Sandzén’s Poplars in Moonlight (est. $125/175,000); John Clymer’s Wild Horses (est. $150/250,000); Charles M. Russell’s chaotic war scene A Battle at Belly Creek (est. $250/350,000); and a pair of George Catlin watercolor works (est. $30/50,000) that are two of the earliest pieces in the sale. 
Carl Rungius (1869-1959), Grizzly Bear, oil, 30 x 40” Estimate: $200/300,000
Logan Maxwell Hagege, Gathering, 2013, oil on canvas, 40 x 60” Estimate: $85/135,000
Artworks from living artists also play a significant role at the Scottsdale Art Auction, and this year is no exception. Noteworthy lots are several major pieces by Logan Maxwell Hagege, Western still lifes from Kyle Polzin, John Coleman bronzes, a frontier scene from Robert Griffing, an evocative cowboy painting from Glenn Dean and a new work from Mark Maggiori, The Serapes (est. $28/38,000). Phoenix painter Ed Mell will also be providing a brand new work, Nature’s Stature (est. $45/65,000), which shows a horse grazing in front of sun-drenched rock formations.
Like many auctions, the Scottsdale Art Auction saw a high volume of online and internet bidders at their 2020 sale, and they anticipate seeing that trend go up again this year, even as they hold live, in-person bidding in addition to online, phone and absentee bidding. “In this day and age, people like to have the option to bid that way, especially as they sit at home and look at the art on their walls,” Frost says. “We’ve been fortunate to always have a strong online presence, and we’re excited to see it grow year after year.” —
Scottsdale Art Auction: Session II
April 10, 2021, noon
7176 Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251,
(480) 945-0225,
www.scottsdaleartauction.com
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