Consistent Bidding

Steady live, phone and internet bidding pushed the Scottsdale Art Auction to $14.7 million in sales.

On April 8 and 9, the Scottsdale Art Auction offered 446 lots of Western art to bidders. After the final hammer drop, the auction would realize $14.7 million in sales and achieve an astonishing 99 percent sell-through rate. Frank Tenney Johnson (1874-1939), The Rimrock Wrangler, oil on canvas, 28 x 36” Estimate: $400/600,000 SOLD: $585,000

“We are very, very pleased. It’s always fun when we have so little left. This year we had just five unsold pieces out of 445 lots. It’s our second year with a 99 percent sell-through rate,” says Brad Richardson, one of the three partners of the sale. “I think it shows the strength of the Western market and also that the market is very healthy. As usual, some bidders walked away with some great deals and some sellers walked away with record prices for their works.”Edgar Payne (1883-1947), Arizona Indians, oil on canvas, 35 x 30” Estimate: $300/500,000 SOLD: $438,750

The top lot was Howard Terpning’s 65-inch-wide painting The Shaman and His Magic Feathers, estimated at $750,000 to $1.25 million. Competitive bidding drove the piece up to $1.5 million, which is now fourth on the list of top Terpning auction pieces. Scottsdale Art Auction holds three of the top four auction prices for the Arizona artist.Frank Tenney Johnson (1874-1939), Packing In, oil on board, 24 x 18” Estimate: $250/350,000 SOLD: $315,900

Howard Terpning, The Shaman and His Magic Feathers, oil on canvas, 48 x 65” Estimate: $750/1,250,000 SOLD: $1,506,000

Frank Tenney Johnson had two works in the top 10 lots: The Rimrock Wrangler (est. $400/600,000), which sold for $585,000, and Packing In (est. $250/350,000), which sold for $315,900. Edgar Payne’s Arizona Indians (est. $300/500,000) also performed strongly when it sold for $438,750. G. Harvey had 18 works available, all of which sold, generating more than $1.2 million in sales. The top Harvey work was At the Mission Well (est. $150/250,000) that closed at $292,500. Thomas Moran (1837-1926), Solitude, Coconino Forest, Arizona, oil on canvas, 20 x 30” Estimate: $400/600,000 SOLD: $374,400A number of new auction records were set, including for Jeremy Lipking, whose Vermilion Cliffs (est. $40/60,000) sold for $93,600; Jerry Jordan, who achieved $70,200 on I Can Hear the Echoes of My Father’s Drum (est. $25/35,000); Mark Boedges’ End of a Good Day (est. $16/22,000) sold for $40,950; and Eric Bowman’s A Beautiful Day (est. $20/30,000) sold for $76,000, which beat his previous record by 10 times. Martin Grelle’s The Victor shattered a price-per-square-inch record when the 12-by-9-inch work sold for $40,950—$379 per square inch.

Other artists whose works had phenomenal runs in the sale included Ed Mell, Don Oelze and Kyle Polzin. —

Top 10 Lots: Scottsdale Art Auction, April 8-9, 2022 (including buyer’s premium)
Artist Title Low /High Estimate SOLD
Howard Terpning The Shaman and His Magic Feathers $750/1,250,000 $1,506,000
Frank Tenney Johnson The Rimrock Wrangler $400/600,000 $585,000
Edgar Payne Arizona Indians $300/500,000 $438,750
Thomas Moran Solitude, Coconino Forest, Arizona $400/600,000 $374,400
Frank Tenney Johnson Packing In $250/350,000 $315,900
William R. Leigh In Pursuit $400/600,000 $310,000
G. Harvey At the Mission Well $150/250,000 $292,500
Kyle Polzin Strength & Pride $45/65,000 $257,400
Joseph Henry Sharp Indian Couple in Interior $125/175,000 $257,400
G. Harvey Genteel Times $125/200,000 $245,700