The 2022 Scottsdale Art Auction takes place in Arizona, so naturally the state is a prominent subject among the lots. From Ed Mell’s iconic desert landscapes and Edgar Payne’s majestic scene of riders under towering clouds, to paintings from Thomas Moran and Howard Terpning, one of the Grand Canyon State’s most prominent living painters. William R. Leigh (1866-1955), The Narrowing Circle, 1916, oil on canvas laid down on Masonite, 25¾ x 36” Estimate: $750/1,000,000

And yet, even as Arizona plays an important role in this year’s sale, dig deeper in the auction’s lots and the work fans out all over the West: California images from Jeremy Lipking, New Mexico and pueblo scenes from the Taos Society of Artists, riveting Wyoming paintings from John Clymer and classic Texas scenes from G. Harvey. 

“It’s that diversity of material that we always look forward to every April here in Scottsdale,” says auction partner Brad Richardson. “And then, of course, we also have cowboy and Native American artwork, wildlife, bronzes, and this year we have an exceptional selection of sporting art.”Edgar Payne (1883-1947), Arizona Indians, oil on canvas, 25 x 30” Estimate: $300/500,000

Howard Terpning, The Shaman and His Magic Feathers, 2006, oil on canvas, 48 x 65” Estimate:  $750/1,250,000Richardson says he and partners Michael Frost and Jack Morris are coming into the 2022 sale, set for April 8 and 9 in Arizona, with a high bar to beat after the 2021 auction ended up with a 99 percent sell-through rate. But interest from bidders is high, they note, especially as Covid restrictions are lifted around the country and collectors are discovering the ease of bidding online. Whether it’s online or in-person bidding, collectors are growing more and more comfortable with both. “We are expecting some pent-up enthusiasm from bidders,” Richardson adds. Thomas Moran (1837-1926), Solitude, Coconino Forest, Arizona, 1907, oil on canvas, 20 x 30” Estimate: $400/600,000

Robert Griffing, Post and King Beaver at Fort Duquesne, 2001, oil on canvas, 40 x 80” Estimate: $125/175,000

Highlights from the sale include a major Terpning work, The Shaman and His Magic Feathers (est. $750/1,250,000), a large 65-inch-wide work with many figures. “The Plains Indians accepted the powers of the shaman as proof of supernatural blessing, both of the shaman and of their tribe,” painter Harley Brown writes about the work in Terpning: Tribute to the Plains People. “To paint children well is a delightful but difficult challenge. They are magnificent in this painting, filled with wonder as they watch the shaman perform his magic. The smoldering fire’s soft smoke adds to the mystery as does the expression on the lone man at left. There’s an abundance to contemplate because Howard never duplicates. Each individual reacts to the ceremony in a unique way. The rocks below pull us into the painting. Note the wisps of grass, the singular blue dress and necklace, and an almost silent blue touch on the lone man’s shoulder. The cool sky sets against the warmth of the painting.”Martin Grelle, Winter of the Mountain Crow, 2002, oil on canvas, 42 x 62” Estimate: $175/225,000

Jeremy Lipking, Vermilion Cliffs, oil on board, 30 x 40” Estimate: $40/60,000

Olaf Wieghorst (1899-1988), Riders, oil on canvas, 24 x 30” Estimate: $30/50,000

Other noteworthy works include five impressive Frank Tenney Johnson paintings, two of which are his revered nocturne paintings. The Rimrock Wrangler, estimated at $400,000 to $600,000, is an early favorite among bidders. The piece is named after Johnson’s Wyoming home, Rimrock Ranch, where the artist and his wife would spend summers during the lean years of the Great Depression. Another Johnson lot is Packing In, estimated at $250,000 to $350,000, showing those stunning nocturne colors that bidders crave for their collections. “Packing In, the canyon scene, is especially nice for this year’s sale,” Frost says. “When you can get a Frank Tenney at that level in your sale, you know there’s going to be some exciting bidding.” The other Johnson works are Cruising for Cattle (est. $25/50,000), Apache Scout (est. $75/125,000) and Wyoming Trail (est. $30/40,000).Eanger Irving Couse (1866-1936), Moonlight, Pueblo de Taos, oil on canvas mounted on board, 30 x 36” Estimate: $150/250,000

William R. Leigh will also be represented with In Pursuit (est. $400/600,000) and The Narrowing Circle (est. $750/1,000,000). The Narrowing Circle should be especially exciting for collectors because the work is quintessential Leigh, with lots of drama and action, and it has been in a number of books on the artist. Thomas Moran’s Solitude, Coconino Forest, Arizona, a magnificent wilderness piece will be available with estimates set at $400,000 to $600,000. After the passing of the artist’s wife, Moran and his daughter would frequent the Grand Canyon, often even exchanging paintings to secure their train tickets. Another Moran, A Bit of Acoma, New Mexico, will be available with estimates of $60,000 to $90,000.

Paintings from Taos, New Mexico, always make a strong appearance at the Arizona sale and this year is no different with several pieces from Eanger Irving Couse, Joseph Henry Sharp, William Herbert “Buck” Dunton and Oscar E. Berninghaus. The Couse piece, Moonlight, Pueblo de Taos, should excite bidders because it has a number of key elements: the classic Couse figures, the nocturnal quality to the paint and the Taos Pueblo setting. The work is expected to sell between $150,000 and $250,000. The noteworthy Sharp piece is Indian Couple in Interior (est. $125/175,000), which has a very contemporary feel to it, including in color and composition. Kyle Polzin, Strength & Pride, oil on canvas, 47½ x 24½” Estimate: $45/65,000

Elsewhere in the sale is Gerard Curtis Delano’s Navajo Night (est. $60/80,000), Fremont Ellis’ Autumn Come to Colorado (est. $15/25,000), Leon Gaspard’s The Fair – Russia 1911 (est. $40/60,000), Philip R. Goodwin’s An Unexpected Opportunity (est. $150/200,000) and Walter Ufer’s A Singer (est. $80/120,000). Other artists that will have work in the sale include Olaf Wieghorst, Frank W. Benson, Gerald Cassidy, William Gollings, Herman Hansen, Frank Hoffman, Frank Schoonover, W.H.D. Koerner and Frederic Remington, who will be represented by a complete and rare set of prints. Seven works by G. Harvey should also interest Western collectors, including prominent city scenes and cowboy works. Two works by Charles M. Russell will be available: Cavalry Mounts for the Brave (est. $150/250,000) and The Stampede (est. $125/175,000), both works on paper. Edgar Payne’s marvelous cloud and valley painting Arizona Indians (est. $300/500,000) should also draw considerable interest. Bob Kuhn, Belly Rub, 1999, acrylic on board, 16 x 28” Estimate: $100/175,000

Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), Indian Couple in Interior, oil on canvas, 25 x 30” Estimate: $125/175,000

The Scottsdale Art Auction always has a number of new works from prominent living artists, and highlights from those works include Jeremy Lipking’s Vermilion Cliffs (est. $40/60,000); three works by Glenn Dean, including Connected to the Land (est. $30/45,000); Z.S. Liang’s canoe scene Spring Morning Sun (est. $40/60,000); Mark Maggiori’s We’re Just Passing Through / In the Shade and the Light (est. $15/25,000); Howard Post’s cattle painting On the Move (est. $15/25,000); Jerry Jordan’s I Can Hear the Echoes of My Father’s Drum (est. $25/35,000); and three works from Logan Maxwell Hagege, including All the Wild that Remains (est. $60/80,000). Richardson notes that the Hagege piece is unique because it’s been in the artist’s personal collection for several years. “No one has owned it other than Logan. He kept it in his home for his own personal edification,” he says. Richardson adds that he also has a major new warbonnet painting from Kyle Polzin, Strength & Pride (est. $45/65,000)—“After he shattered his auction record in 2014, he was very careful not to paint this subject too much, so these are rare and extraordinary.”

The sale will take place over two sessions on April 8 and 9. —

Scottsdale Art Auction
April 8-9, 2022
7176 Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 945-0225, www.scottsdaleartauction.com

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