After a successful inaugural sale in 2021, the Wyoming Art Auction is back with a second collection of offerings that are sure to excite collectors of Western, wildlife and sporting paintings and bronzes. The sale, presented by the Jackson Hole Art Auction, will be held entirely online across two sessions on February 18 and 19.
Bob Kuhn (1920-2007), 180 Degrees, acrylic on board, 26 x 44” Estimate: $100/150,000
John Clymer (1907-1989), Buffalo Run, oil, 10 x 20” Estimate: $70/100,000
“We know sales can get to be very long, so we thought that breaking it up would be more manageable and enjoyable for our bidders,” says auction partner and managing director Kevin Doyle. “And even though the sale will be held online, there will still be an auction preview in Jackson Hole, which is always an exciting place to be this time of year during ski season.”
Highlights in the sale include a major Bob Kuhn painting, 180 Degrees, showing a wolf and an eagle in a dramatic composition that the artist was known for creating. The 26-by-44-inch painting is estimated at $100,000 to $150,000. Due to the location of both the Jackson Hole Art Auction and the Wyoming Art Auction, wildlife works like this Kuhn usually perform very well in a town largely known for its wildlife. “Wildlife art is the perennial trademark of the sale,” Doyle adds. “With the national parks nearby and the National Museum of Wildlife Art just down the road, it just makes sense that so much wildlife art ends up here with us, especially considering the involvement of Trailside Galleries, which has long shown wildlife art.”
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), The Old Arrow Tree, oil on canvas, 24 x 17” Estimate: $100/150,000
Charlie Dye (1906-1972), Maverick, oil on board, 20 x 30” Estimate: $18/24,000
Robert Pummill, Toward the Cliffs, oil on canvas, 30 x 48” Estimate: $10/20,000Elsewhere in the sale is John Clymer’s Buffalo Run, a smaller 20-inch-wide painting that shows the artist’s ability to capture action and movement. The work, estimated at $70,000 to $100,000, comes from the Eddie Basha Collection in Arizona. “Clymer is doing very well at auction, so his works are always exciting to watch,” Doyle says. “The Clymer will be joining about a dozen other works from the Basha Collection, including some that are valued lower and should excite bidders of all kinds.”
Joseph Henry Sharp’s The Old Arrow Tree is another lot that is generating some buzz. The piece shows a Native American man with a bow amid a thick cluster of trees. The depth of the painting—particularly the distant mountains and the horse hidden amid the trees—makes it a fascinating piece by the Taos Society of Artists founder. It is estimated at $100,000 to $150,000.
A magnificent Charlie Dye cattle branding painting, Maverick, will be available with estimates of $18,000 to $24,000, while another Cowboy Artist of America’s work, Joe Beeler’s small piece Fly Time, will be available for $1,500 to $2,500. James Reynolds, another CA member, will be represented by Prairie Scout, showing a Native American rider with a spear. The estimate on that one is $6,000 to $9,000.
Dan Ostermiller, Winged Rapture, bronze, 108” Estimate: $20/30,000
James Reynolds (1926-2010), Prairie Scout, oil, 16 x 20” Estimate: $6/9,000
Three living artists represented in the sale include painters Robert Pummill and Robert Hagan and sculptor Dan Ostermiller. The Pummill work, Toward the Cliffs, is a large piece measuring 48 inches wide and is estimated at $10,000 to $20,000. The Hagan piece, Untitled (Bronco), is expected to fetch between $2,000 and $3,000. The Ostermiller bronze, Winged Rapture, is expected to sell between $20,000 and $30,000.
Other artists in the sale are Steve Burgess, Scott Christensen, Francois Koch, Veryl Goodnight, John Mortensen, George Northup, Frank McCarthy, Roy Andersen, Kent Ullberg and a delightful little landscape from the late Richard Schmid. There will also be four Carl Rungius etchings, as well as two 12-by-15-inch Rungius oil studies.
Joe Beeler (1931-2006), Fly Time, oil, 9 x 12” Estimate: $1,5/2,500
Robert Hagan, Untitled (Bronco), oil on canvas, 23 x 29” Estimate: $2/3,000
“The sale last February did very well because it offered accessible price points and a nice variety of artwork,” Doyle says. “This trend of adding an online sale seems to be the way auction houses are pivoting. We have our big marquee sale, and then now also a smaller online sale, and we’re really happy to offer both of them to our clients.”
The Wyoming Art Auction will be available for bidding on three platforms: Auction Mobility, Live Auctioneers and Invaluable. There will be an auctioneer who will oversee the auction, and the sale will be live. —
Wyoming Art Auction
February 18-19, 2022
130 E. Broadway, Jackson, WY 83001
(866) 549-9278, www.wyomingartauction.com
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