Excitement is in the air on a normal year leading into the fall season in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. But coming off a rough 2020, which saw lots of reorganized schedules and reduced-capacity events, the fall 2021 season is downright electric. One of the key generators of that palpable excitement is the Jackson Hole Art Auction.
E. Martin Hennings (1886-1956), Untitled, oil on canvas, 30¼ x 30¼” Estimate: $600/900,000
“People are feeling great and they’re ready to come back into Jackson Hole. We’re seeing some really great energy coming into town, and it’s building with each passing day,” says Jackson Hole Art Auction partner Roxanne Hofmann Mowery. “One of the things we’re hearing a lot from some of our biggest supporters is how excited they are to celebrate with us for our 15th year. Many of them have been with us every year since we started, but then couldn’t attend our 14th sale last year. Everyone is ready to come back and see each other again.”
Howard Terpning, Vanishing Pony Track, oil on canvas, 60 x 42” Estimate: $700/1,000,000
The auction, presented by Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Gallery, will take place across two sessions on September 17 and 18 at Center for the Arts in Jackson Hole. The sale will be the closing event and crown jewel on the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, which brings artists, collectors and Western enthusiasts into Wyoming every year for a whole slate of events and openings. The two sessions, both of which start at noon, will feature more than 300 lots that pull from every facet of the West: wildlife, landscapes, cowboys and Native Americans subject matter, still life, bronze and much more.
Carl Rungius (1869-1959), Above the Treeline, oil on canvas, 30 x 40” Estimate: $300/500,000
Works from two major Western collections will be offered: 30 pieces of art from the famous T. Boone Pickens Collection, and 28 works from the Corporate Collection of Eddie Basha. Both Pickens and Basha were prominent and colorful collectors who sought out the best quality from many of the top artists. The Pickens material, which is being offered under the name The Frontier Spirit: Western Works from the T. Boone Pickens Collection, should be especially thrilling to bidders after Christie’s sold from the collection in late 2020 and the works realized more than $20 million.
Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874-1952), Taos Field of Workers, oil on canvas 25 x 30” Estimate: $300/500,000
“Pickens was a maverick and an icon, and he felt the history of the American West was particularly rich because of the strength of the individuals who lived it. He collected Western art in hopes that it would preserve the values he believed in—honor, duty, country and others,” Mowery says. “You see some of those qualities with Eddie Basha. One of the things that made his collection special was he was close friends with so many of the artists, including Joe Beeler, John Clymer and James Reynolds. Eddie was a student of history, so he collected artists that reflected his interests.”
Bob Kuhn (1920-2007), Stuff of Legends, acrylic on Masonite, 22 x 30” Estimate: $100/150,000
Bob Kuhn (1920-2007), Midst Flap and Clatter, 1993, acrylic on Masonite, 16 x 26” Estimate: $70/100,000
Major highlights in the sale include Howard Terpning’s Vanishing Pony Tracks, a 2006 commission by Pickens from the Arizona artist. “Not only is Howard one of the great painters, but he’s also a master storyteller of the Plains Indians. Here he shows how stealing ponies was almost sport among the Plains Indians. It was a way to gain honor and prestige. These figures had been following a large band of trappers, just waiting for the right moment to get their horses,” Mowery says. “After they stole the horses they were trying to put as much distance between them and the trappers as they could, even going so far as to ride in the water to hide their tracks and elude them.” The work is estimated at $700,000 to $1 million.
Charlie Dye (1906-1972), The Mustangers, oil on board, 24 x 36” Estimate: $50/75,000
Paintings by Taos Society of Artists members will also be important highlights at this year’s sale. One is an E. Martin Hennings untitled work showing two blanket-clad figures under New Mexico clouds. “It has never been on the market and we are absolutely thrilled to have it,” says Mowery, who adds that one of Hennings’ sponsors chose the painting after a 1917 exhibition. “And it’s been descending through his family ever since. It’s even in the original frame. It’s a magnificent painting that has everything you could want with a Hennings painting, including those dreamy clouds in the sky under those central figures. It’s a powerful painting.” The untitled work is estimated at $600,000 to $900,000.
Dean Cornwell (1892-1960), Who Hired You?, oil on canvas, 30 x 46” Estimate: $30/50,000
Other Taos material includes Oscar E. Berninghaus’ Taos Field of Workers (est. $300/500,000) and Joseph Henry Sharp’s The Drummer (est. $60/90,000).
John Clymer will be well represented in the sale with five works—four from the Basha Collection and one from the Pickens Collection—that show his strength as storyteller. We Take All (est. $100/200,000) is certainly a key highlight since it shows a tense standoff between Native Americans and trespassing outsiders who have staked out buffalo hides after a hunt. It’s classic Clymer with a complex composition, riveting story and numerous figures within the painting. Other Clymer works include Buffalo Hunt (est. $100/200,000), Buffalo Scouts (est. $60/90,000) and High Crossing (est. $70/100,000). (See more available Clymer works in a feature that starts on Page 56.)
Roy Andersen (1930-2019), Day of the Dog Soldier, 2000, oil on canvas, 50 x 72” Estimate: $75/125,000
Wildlife always plays a large role at the sale and this year is no different with several major works from wildlife masters Bob Kuhn and Carl Rungius. The Kuhn offerings include Contented Cat (est. $30/50,000), Midst Flap and Clatter (est. $70/100,000) and Stuff of Legends (est. $100/150,000), which shows a trio of wolves on a snowy hill with fall leaves in the background. “We’ve been seeking Stuff of Legends for years because it’s one of his finest paintings of wolves ever done,” Mowery adds. Rungius will be represented in the sale with Rainbow Ram (est. $70/100,000) and Above the Treeline (est. $300/500,000).
Luke Frazier, Reckoning, oil on board, 24 x 30” Estimate: $15/20,000
Elsewhere in the sale are marvelous examples of work by Bill Anton, Greg Beecham, Ken Carlson,
G. Harvey, Hermann Herzog, Clark Hulings, Tom Lovell, James Reynolds, William R. Leigh, Morgan Weistling, Roy Andersen, Luke Frazier and many others. A Charlie Dye painting, The Mustangers (est. $50/75,000) should also draw considerable interest, as should Dean Cornwell’s Who Hired You? (est. $30/50,000), both of which show the two artists’ unique painting styles. Another work that should interest bidders is a large Mars painting from Wilson Hurley.
Allan Houser (1914-1994), Dance of the Mountain Spirits I, 1989, bronze, ed. 4 of 6, 68 x 50 x 26” Estimate: $40/60,000
All of the artwork will be available to preview at the auction’s showroom, which is just a few blocks from the town square. Visit the sale website for more information.
Jackson Hole Art Auction
September 17-18, 2021, noon
Center for the Arts
265 S. Cache Street, Jackson, WY 83001
(866) 549-9278,
www.jacksonholeartauction.com
Powered by Froala Editor
