The cover of the catalog says it all: “The Russell Reignited.” 

Not only is the signature event from the C.M. Russell Museum returning to August for the second year in a row, the event will also be held in a new location at Montana Expo Park and will be featuring a buyer’s premium of 12 percent on contemporary works, which makes the sale very competitive in the Western auction world. All these points add up to excitement, which collectors will be able to see and feel for themselves from August 18 to 21 in Great Falls, Montana. Bidders during a previous Russell Live in Great Falls, Montana.

“We’re very encouraged by what we’re hearing from collectors and artists,” says Duane Braaten, director of art and philanthropy at the C.M. Russell Museum. “We’ve heard from lots of people who are enjoying the thought of coming to Great Falls in the summer instead of in March, but we’re also hearing good things about our buyer’s premiums. It was an important thing for us to offer because we knew it would underscore the connection from the artists to the collectors, and the collectors to the artists. We do everything we can to put those two groups together.”Chad Poppleton’s artist suite at the 2021 Russell event.

W. Steve Seltzer, Winter Solitude, oil, 30 x 40” Estimate: $9/12,000

The other big change—the move to a new venue—should also be exciting for visitors who can see much of what The Russell has to offer, all in one location. 

And there is a lot to see. 

In addition to a world-class Western auction, The Russell also boasts artist suites, where guests can browse curated booths for individual artists; an educational symposium that will feature a talk on Maynard Dixon by gallery owner and C.M. Russell Western Heritage Award recipient Mark Sublette; and the popular First Strike Friday Night Auction that will focus solely on works by contemporary artists. Only two events take place outside of Montana Expo Park: The Art in Action quickdraw competition and sale will take place at the Meadow Lark Country Club, and the art preview party will take place at the C.M. Russell Museum’s newly expanded campus. Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), High, Wide, and Handsome, 1919, watercolor, gouache and pencil on paper, 16 x 12½” Estimate: $400/600,000

“Not only are we going to have a ton of space,” Braaten says, “but we’re going to have multiple buildings for it all to take place in. Guests will be able to view art and talk with artists, and then walk down a corridor to go bid on the auction lots. It’s five times as much space as we’ve ever had before.”Chad Poppleton, Where Love Awaits, oil, 24 x 30” Estimate: $10/12,000The highlight of The Russell, however, is the live auction, which serves as the main event for the four-day show. This year’s sale will include more than 120 lots, including a number of pieces related to Charles M. Russell, whose name is on the museum and the title of the show. The top Russell lot is High, Wide and Handsome, a classic scene of a rider getting tossed around atop a bucking horse. The work was created for the 1919 Calgary Stampede, which is sometimes referred to as the Victory Stampede since the world was celebrating the end of World War I. “This work was created in the peak of old Charlie’s career in the teens of the 20th century. Russell was invited to show at the Calgary Stampede and he brought one of the most impressive bodies of work in his career,” Braaten says. “It was the second time Charlie had shown at the event, having previously brought work back in 1912. He created High, Wide and Handsome as a promotional piece for that 1919 event. Today these bucking-horse images are quite sought after.”Randy Van Beek, Hunters Return to Saint Mary Camp, oil, 36 x 54” Estimate: $19/24,000

Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), Antelope Hunting, 1894, watercolor, 22½ x 33” Estimate: $175/275,000

Russell’s painted plaster sculpture Texas Longhorn Steer will also be available at $15,000 to $25,000, as will two graphite drawings that were likely preliminary sketches or drawings for other works. Elsewhere in the sale will be several Edward Borein etchings that should excite bidders. Borein was a contemporary of Russell’s and today their works often share collectors. Jennifer Johnson, American Spirit, oil, 36 x 36” Estimate: $10/12,000

On the contemporary side of the sale will be a number major pieces from rising and established stars within Western art. One of those works is Andy Thomas’ action-packed Lighting Up Dodge (est. $42/50,000), showing a shoot-out in a dusty street. Thomas’ work has performed strongly at The Russell, as has the work of Jeremy Winborg, who will be showing Pitamakan; Braver than the Braves (est. $28/32,000). R.S. Riddick will have a work in the auction, The Prayerful Song, estimated at $35,000 to $45,000. Charles Fritz, Where the Mammoths of Yellowstone Reside, oil, 23 x 54” Estimate: $18/20,000

W. Steve Seltzer will have two works available—Winter Solitude (est. $9/12,000) and Prairie Prowlers (est. $10/14,000)—as will landscape painter Randy Van Beek, who will be showing Hunters Return to Saint Mary Camp (est. $19/24,000) and Montana Gold (est. $11/13,000), both of which show the immensity of nature. Bruce Cheever, The Intimidator, oil, 27½ x 21” Estimate: $7,500/9,000

Other works in the sale are Troy Collins’ The Wonder of It All (est. $12/15,000), Jason Rich’s Wild Horse Ridge (est. $25/35,000), Lisa Gleim’s One Must Be a Fox to Recognize a Trap (est. $6/8,000) and several Bob Scriver bronzes that should delight collectors. A new artist to watch this year is Crow/Northern Cheyenne painter Ben Pease, who will be offering War-Pony Express (est. $4,500/5,500), which shows a car covered in arrows, as if it drove through a treacherous piece of land on the frontier. Troy Collins, The Wonder of it All, oil, 36 x 60” Estimate: $12,900/15,900

John R. Phelps, Situational Awareness, oil, 16 x 20” Estimate: $5/7,000

Charles Fritz, Red Trim, oil, 36 x 38” Estimate: $22/25,000

One aspect of the sale Braaten likes to drive home is that the proceeds from the sale go directly back into the C.M. Russell Museum, which uses that money for programing and educational opportunities for the coming year and years to come. “Anything to keep Russell’s name out there,” he adds. —

The Russell Art Preview Party
August 18, 7-9 p.m.
C.M. Russell Museum, 400 13th Street N, Great Falls, MT 59401

Artist Suites
August 18, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
August 19-20, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
August 21, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Montana Expo Park, Pacific Steel and Recycling Arena, 400 Third Street NW, Great Falls, MT 59404

Art in Action
August 19, 10 a.m-2 p.m.
Meadowlark Country Club, 300 Country Club Boulevard, Great Falls, MT 59404

First Strike Friday Night Auction
August 19, 5 p.m.
Montana Expo Park, Exhibition Hall

The Russell Educational Symposium
August 20, 10 a.m.
Montana Expo Park, Pacific Steel and Recycling Arena

The Russell Live
August 20, 4 p.m.
Montana Expo Park, Exhibition Hall
For information call (406) 727-1939 or visit cmrussell.org.

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