Gregory Mortenson makes his debut in Western art
We are no stranger to Gregory Mortenson’s work. In fact, he was on the November 2015 cover of our sister publication, American Art Collector. But Mortenson has largely painted within the more contemporary figurative genre—until recently. The artist has been dipping his toe in Western art more frequently, including with this round piece, Trouble on the Horizon, which was quickly scooped up at the Maxwell Alexander Gallery Black Friday Sale. The small work, at only 14 inches in diameter, sold within the first minutes of the sale at $4,800. Keep an eye on this exciting new artist.
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Thomas Hart Benton sells for $4.8 million
On November 14, 2022, Sotheby’s sold Thomas Hart Benton’s magnificent Fire in the Barnyard, showing a dramatic scene in a farm setting. The work was estimated to sell between $4 million and $6 million, and sold within estimates at $4.8 million. “This picture was made from a memory of my childhood, my grandfather ‘Poppy’ Wise had a cotton farm a few miles, 5 or 6, out of Waxahachie, Texas, and one night when I was about 7 or 8 years old a great light appeared in the sky,” Benton wrote. “It was so great that speculation about the end of the world was bruited about among the grown folks at the farm. As it turned out a straw stack had caught fire on an adjoining farm and some small tool sheds and part of a fence was burned. We all visited the place next morning and heard tell of how the farmer and his sons had got the scared horses out of the farm. Such things are immensely impressive to young ‘ins.’” The work is the second-best auction record for Benton. —
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Interested in having your SOLD! stories featured in the pages of Western Art Collector magazine? Email Michael Clawson at
mclawson@westernartcollector.com to find out how you can share your recent sales and successes.
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