A rich and vibrant cross-section of American art history will be available November 17 in Dallas during Heritage Auctions’ seasonal American Art Signature Sale. Tucked in amid 75 carefully selected lots will be a stunning selection of Western material, which will represent nearly a quarter of the sale.
Gerard Curtis Delano (1890-1972), Navajo Ponies, oil on Masonite, 18 x 28” Estimate: $30/50,000
“Our goal is to create these little vignettes, sub-categories within the sale to show our capabilities. They represent every category of American art,” says Aviva Lehmann, Heritage’s senior vice president of American art. “We’re seeing spectacular collections arrive in this sale, including some wonderful Hudson River School paintings, which is having a comeback because it’s classic and traditional American art.”
Among the Hudson River paintings are works by Asher B. Durand and Albert Bierstadt, who will be represented by two works: Mountain Lake at Sunset (est. $250/350,000) and Evening, Owens Lake, California (est. $150/250,000). “Mountain Lake at Sunsetis really special because the collector is a stickler for condition, so it is in marvelous condition,” Lehmann adds.
Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), Mountain Lake at Sunset, ca. 1882, oil on board, 14 x 20” Estimate: $250/350,000
Elsewhere in the sale will be a small Oscar E. Berninghaus painting, A Pueblo Indian and his Ponies, estimated at $20,000 to $30,000, and an evocative Olaf Wieghorst piece, Canyon Ranch (est. $25/35,000), showing a rider discovering an abandoned ranch house. The painting leaves much of the narrative to the viewer, but a clue might reside in the dry riverbed that runs past the farmhouse.
John Nieto (1936-2018), Seated Plains Warrior, 1995, oil on canvas, 60 x 48” Estimate: $15/25,000
Alissa Ford, Heritage’s dedicated Western specialist, says she is very excited to bring six Birger Sandzén pieces to the market, each one from a different period of the artist’s career, and each one priced for different segments of the market. “We have one that is estimated at $200,000 to $300,000 and then others that range in price below that point. And then we also have works from every decade he was active—one from 1919, one from the 1920s, the 1930s and the 1940s,” she says. “Whatever you want, we have it when it comes to Birger Sandzén. And we have had great luck with him, because he’s the Van Gogh of the Western world.”
Birger Sandzén (1871-1954), Brook with Cottonwood Trees, 1943, oil on Masonite, 25 x 30” Estimate: 50/70,000
Another piece Ford is thrilled to offer is Gerard Curtis Delano’s Navajo Ponies, estimated at $30,000 to $50,000. “It’s very Maynard Dixon-esque. And it’s just stunning in person,” she adds. “It’s certainly one of our highlights.”
Other pieces in the sale include G. Harvey’s city scene The Dinner Carriage (est. $10/15,000), Harvey Dunn’s nocturne scene The Night Falls (est. $10/15,000), John Nieto’s Seated Plains Warrior (est. $15/25,000) and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s Land Deal (est. $25/35,000).
Olaf Wieghorst (1899-1988), Canyon Ranch, 1957, oil on canvas, 24 x 30” Estimate: $25/35,000
Nieto and Quick-to-See Smith, both Native American artists, are seeing continued growth in the market as new collectors discover their work. “These are exciting artists that are being collected all around the market, not just in the West,” Lehmann says. “Nieto, for instance, is the Western Warhol and he’s being added to a lot of very important collections. And Jaune Quick-to-See Smith is just incredibly hot right now. It’s very exciting.” —
Heritage Auction’s American Art Signature Sale
November 17, 2023
Heritage Auctions, 2801 W. Airport Freeway, Dallas, TX 75261
(877) 437-4824, www.ha.com
Powered by Froala Editor
