John Moran Auctioneers kicks off the summer season with the May 10 California, American & Western Fine Art sale, “offering new and seasoned collectors an opportunity to acquire various statement pieces in both the classic and contemporary Western market,” says Morgana Blackwelder, senior vice president and fine art director. The auction house is excited to be offering a strong collection of Western artworks, acquired through multiple private sales in Southern California.
Michael Coleman, Crow Buffalo Hunters, 1976, oil on board, 19¼ x 29¼” Estimate: $7/9,000
“The secondary auction market for both contemporary and classic works in the genre has seen a large uptick in the past five years,” says Blackwelder. “New buyers coming from the Midwest and the East Coast are showing that the subject is not merely [coming from] the South or Southwest. The value gap between the historical and contemporary Western art markets are closing in on each other. It is now more common to see them mixed in with the more seasoned collector’s inventory.”
Collectors will see this mix in the Moran sale, including top Western lot Barn in Low Light (est. $10/15,000), by Gary Ernest Smith. “Working in Utah, [Smith’s] piece is a visually striking example of the convergence of multiple styles,” Blackwelder explains. “A rural American landscape often seen in American impressionism mixed with a hint of illustrations simplicity. The scene showcases a robust barn with a [bit] of an expansive wilderness.”
Glenn Dean, Sandstone Fortress, 2008, oil on linen, 20 x 30” Estimate: $8/12,000Following close behind with an estimate between $8,000 and $12,000, is the California impressionist oil painting Sandstone Fortress by Glenn Dean. Blackwelder notes that this piece “offers a panoramic desert landscape with two riders in the distance. A mid-career artist, Dean has captured the spirit of the West and is what draws viewers and collectors alike to works like this. The scene is reminiscent of Edgar Payne’s many Canyon de Chelly scenes.”
Other important highlights include Everything Ritual by contemporary, mid-Western raised artist, Tom Darro. This top auction lot (est. $6/8,000) is a “heartwarming spotlight on contemporary American portraiture,” Blackwelder remarks. “This view of a family standing backlit shows all the warmth, richness in color and tone that draws buyers to the Western genre.”
Tom Darro, Everything Ritual, oil on canvas, 42 x 24” Estimate: $6/8,000
One of the most desirable contemporary Western artists, Michael Coleman, will also be represented in the sale with his piece Crow Buffalo Hunters (est. $7/9,000). “Inspired by American painter, George Inness,” says Blackwelder, “Coleman’s Buffalo Hunters offers a more classic depiction of a Southwest scene. An atmospheric landscape centering a hunting party bringing down a buffalo.” 
Gary Ernest Smith, Barn in Low Light, oil on linen, 40 x 60” Estimate: $10/15,000
Collectors have an additional 125 lots to look forward to in the sale, all of which will be available for bidding in person at the John Moran showroom in Monrovia, California, online, telephone and absentee, as well as the via the Moran bidding app. —
California, American & Western Fine Art
May 10, 2022, noon
John Moran Auctioneers 145 E. Walnut Avenue
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 793-1833, www.johnmoran.com
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