For Heritage Auction’s upcoming Texas Art Heritage Auctionin late June, collectors can expect to find around 125 impressive lots of the region-specific genre. While Texas art is considered to be a diverse collecting category, “many of the best early works have already found homes in private collections and museums,” shares Atlee Phillips, Heritage’s director of Texas art. “It is rare to have so many amazing examples of early Texas art that are completely fresh to the market.”
Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922), Bluebonnets on a Grey Day, North of San Antonio, Texas, 1916, oil on canvas, 10 x 14 in. Estimate: $60/80,000
The sale, opening live for bidders on June 29, has several of these early Texas pieces, with excitement surrounding two Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922) highlights: Bluebonnets on a Grey Day, North of San Antonio, Texas, 1916, which is estimated at $60,000 to $80,000; and then Onderdonk’s more “tonalist, less impressionistic piece,” A Golden Evening, Southwest Texas, 1909 (est. $20/30,000).
Everett Franklin Spruce (1908-2002), Giant Yucca Near Hot Spring, 1987-88, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 39¾ in. Estimate: $15/25,000
“Onderdonk is the most sought-after early Texas painter,” Phillips says. “He was born in San Antonio to a family of artists. He studied in New York with William Merritt Chase, and then came home to capture the most beautiful paintings of the Texas landscape. He was the first bluebonnet painter, creating an entire genre of Texas art that is still very popular today. Many of his bluebonnets have found permanent homes in private collections or institutions, but this one has been in the Onderdonk extended family since it was created.”
Additional top lots include Giant Yucca Near Hot Spring, 1987-88 (est. $15/25,000), by Dallas Nine member Everett Franklin Spruce (1908-2002), showcasing the surreal aspects of the Western landscape he so admired; and the pastel On Pease River (est. $8/12,000) by Frank Reaugh (1860-1945), often referred to as the Dean of Texas Artists and the Longhorn Painter. —
Texas Art Signature Auction
June 29, 2024
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway, Dallas, TX 75261,
(214) 528-3500, www.ha.com
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