Bidders are showing no signs of slowing their rapid acceptance of online bidding, and auction houses are responding with exceptional offerings in online-only sales between seasonal in-person sales. On February 18, Jackson Hole Art Auction is offering the Online Auction. This edition is the auction house’s third annual online sale. 

More than 300 lots will be available according to Kevin Doyle, managing director and partner, who adds that the lots will include a “variety of price points across many genres.” John Clymer (1907-1989), Untitled – Roping a Calf, oil, 30 x 40” Estimate: $30/50,000One lot that is generating interest is John Clymer’s Untitled – Roping a Calf, estimated at $30,000 to $50,000. The image shows three children chasing down a calf that seems to be getting the better of them. In the distance is a couple bringing in a herd of cattle. The five figures in the painting are all wearing custom boots with fine detailing in their designs. Doyle says the painting has a provenance that goes back to the famous Lucchese Bootmaker, though little else is known about its origins. “It is a fabulous painting. The fact that it has the Lucchese Bootmaker family in its provenance is so exciting because the details on everyone’s boots are so prominent,” he says. “It makes me wonder whether it was a commission by the family or perhaps meant for an advertisement. I think it is such a great and fresh piece to come to the auction block.”Richard Schmid (1934-2021), February in Gaylordsville, oil on canvas, 36 x 48” Estimate: $60/90,000

Dan Bodelson, The Homecoming, oil on canvas, 74 x 60” Estimate: $12/18,000

Many Western fans will recognize the Lucchese name as a luxury brand of boots out of El Paso, Texas. Lucchese boots, often colorful and custom-ordered by their wearers, are common sights at Western shows all around the country. 

Also in the auction is Harold von Schmidt’s Untitled Ranger on Rearing Horse, estimated at $6,000 to $9,000. The painting shows a lawmen peering down at a vacated campsite as his horse rears up in a dramatic pose. The figure and the horse are framed against a magnificent blue sky that draws attention to their forms and poses. “The von Schmidt is also comparable in size [to the Clymer] and quite a presence,” Doyle says. “I love its composition. It comes from the same owner as the Clymer.”Harold von Schmidt (1893-1982), Untitled Ranger on Rearing Horse, oil, 28 x 41” Estimate: $6/9,000

Francois Koch, Not on the Menu, oil on linen, 26 x 36” Estimate: $10/20,000

Elsewhere in the sale is Clark Hulings’ Torremolinos, estimated at $12,000 to $18,000. The painting is titled after the city in southern Spain. Although Clymer has been claimed by Western collectors for his magnificent scenes of the Southwest and Mexico, Hulings frequently painted abroad, particularly in Europe, where he captured street scenes in numerous countries. 

Richard Schmid’s February in Gaylordsville, estimated at $60,000 to $90,000, shows a dense cluster of trees that partially obscures a farmhouse amid thick vegetation and winter snow. Schmid, who was known for both his figurative works and landscapes, was revered as much as a teacher as an artist. He passed away in 2021.Robert Bateman, Morning Dew – Roe Deer, 18 x 24” Estimate: $12/18,000Two wildlife works in the sale include Robert Bateman’s deer painting Morning Dew – Roe Deer, estimated at $12,000 to $18,000, and Francois Koch’s leopard painting Not on the Menu, estimated at $10,000 to $20,000. The Wyoming-based auction house has routinely offered exceptional wildlife works. 

Also, a Dan Bodelson painting will be offered, The Homecoming, a 74-inch-tall work showing Native Americans returning home to gorgeous mountain valley. Estimates are $12,000 to $18,000.Clark Hulings (1922-2011), Torremolinos, oil on board, 20 x 24” Estimate: $12/18,000The auction will be conducted live online with virtual bidding available on three platforms: Auction Mobility (via the auction house’s website), Invaluable.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. —

Jackson Hole Art Auction’s Online Auction
February 18, 2023
Preview available at 130 E. Broadway Avenue, Jackson, WY 83001
(866) 549-9278, www.jacksonholeartauction.com 

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