When the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction returns to Reno, Nevada, on July 25, it will return with all the hallmarks of a blockbuster sale: rare and important works of art, examples from the top artists and passionate support from collectors, who are registering and bidding at higher rates than ever before.
Frederic Remington (1861-1909), The Broncho Buster, bronze, lifetime cast, Cast No. 2, 23 ¾ x 20¼ × 12 ¼ in. Estimate: $600/900,000
The sale will also drop in what will likely be the single most successful year ever recorded for Western art as a genre. Sales earlier in the year have already set the stage for huge numbers, and the Coeur d’Alene Auction plans to continue the hot streak, says auction partner Mike Overby. “I’m really bullish on [the market] right now. And that’s not just me saying that…[Sales] over the last 12 months, ours included from last year, they just went through the roof. And it’s kind of at all levels, too. Everything from low-end to middle market to the highest of the high end has just really been off the charts for the last year,” Overby says. “It’s been building for the last three or four years, but it really has taken off over the last two rounds of auction season. And so I’m pretty optimistic about the offerings we have this year for July. I think it’s going to continue that way.”
The auction, which is held in one marathon session, takes place at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno. Overby expects about 340 lots at this year’s sale, with prime examples coming out of many genres, including landscapes, the Taos Art Colony, cowboys and cattle, sporting art, wildlife and bronzes.
Top: John Clymer (1907-1989), The Trader, 1971, oil on canvas, 20 x 40 in. Estimate: $250/350,000. Bottom: Charles Schreyvogel (1861-1912), The Couriers, 1905, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 in. Estimate: $250/350,000. Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), Pablo-Allard Buffalo Drive, 1909, watercolor on paper, 8½ x 11½ in. Estimate: $250/350,000
One lot that is already generating a lot of buzz is Frederic Remington’s bronze of The Broncho Buster. About 350 official casts of the piece were made across two foundries, but this cast is exceptionally rare and important because it is the second cast from the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co., which produced 64 sand-cast bronzes before Roman Bronze Works made a larger batch of lost-wax bronzes of The Broncho Buster from 1902 until well after Remington’s death in 1909. A No. 2 cast, almost certainly overseen personally by the artist, is expected to soar, with estimates from $600,000 to $900,000.
Frank Tenney Johnson (1874-1939), Midnight in the Canyon, 1930, oil on canvas, 46 x 30 in. Estimate: $400/600,000
“This cast is only the second time it was ever made. It was created in 1895 and Remington spent a lot of time personally fussing over the piece at the foundry making sure it was exactly what he wanted,” Overby says. “This one is the most important casts of Broncho Buster to ever hit the market. And it has impeccable provenance. A famous family bought it originally and then it was donated to Xavier University, which owned it for many years, and then a prominent collecting family bought it [in] Michigan and [owned] it ever since. So it’s only had three owners throughout its lifetime. We’re really excited about this one.”
For those who can’t pony up $600,000 (or more) for a No. 2 cast, the auction is also offering a No. 125 Roman Bronze Works cast of The Broncho Busterwith estimates of $70,000 to $100,000.
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), Looks Ahead and Squaw, Crow, oil on canvas, 36 x 30 in. Estimate: $300/500,000
Other highlights include two Frank Tenney Johnson paintings: Muy Pronto (est. $150/250,000) and Midnight in the Canyon (est. $400/600,000). Both pieces show riders on horseback, but in two very different settings, with one in bright sunlight and the other a nocturne. John Clymer will be represented with two major works. The first is The Prowler (est. $80/120,000), featuring a bear in a lush forest scene. The second is The Trader (est. $250/350,000), which appeared on the cover of The Western Paintings of John Clymer.
Philip R. Goodwin (1881-1935), The Law of the Wilderness, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in. Estimate: $200/300,000
Works from members of the Taos Society of Artists are frequently offered at the Reno sale, and this year is no exception with strong examples from several TSA members. Works available include Eanger Irving Couse’s The Duck Hunter (est. $200/300,000) and Joseph Henry Sharp’s Montana painting Looks Ahead and Squaw, Crow (est. $300/500,000).
Elsewhere in the sale are Philip R. Goodwin’s bear painting The Law of the Wilderness (est. $200/300,000), Bob Kuhn’s wolf-versus-moose painting A Matter of Odds (est. $150/250,000), Edgar Payne’s Canyon de Chelly painting Riders Overlooking Canyon (est. $150/250,000), Carl Rungius’ moose work Headed to High Country (est. $100/150,000) and Charles Schreyvogel’s action painting The Couriers (est. $250/350,000).
Finally, a beloved Charles M. Russell watercolor, Pablo-Allard Buffalo Drive, is available and is already getting serious bidders interested. The work is well known among Russell collectors. It is estimated at $250,000 to $350,000.
Other artists in the sale are Walter Ufer, Oscar E. Berninghaus, Armin Hansen, John George Brown, Rockwell Kent, William Herbert “Buck” Dunton and contemporary painter Mark Maggiori.
Edgar Payne (1883-1947), Riders Overlooking Canyon, oil on canvas, 28 x 34 in. Estimate: $150/250,000
Another noteworthy segment of this year’s sale is work by Native American painters, including Fritz Scholder, Earl Biss and Oscar Howe. These artists’ works have risen continuously at auctions, and bidding is expected to be strong. “It’s long overdue that these fabulous painters see their prices go up at auction. They didn’t always get their due in their lifetime, but collectors are responding now as new generations of collectors find their works. The market is catching up,” Overby says. “A lot of these artists, like Scholder or Biss, have a lot of crossover appeal. You can hang a big Scholder in a log-cabin lodge, or even a home in a major city on the East Coast, and it’s going to look great no matter what. Bidders are responding to these artists.”
Works in the sale include two major Howe paintings: Sioux War Dancer (est. $100/150,000) and Horse Dancer (est. $100/150,000). Both pieces show Howe’s fragmented, almost shattered sense for design and composition. Scholder will be represented in the sale by Shaman with Shadow, a 1984 work that measures 80 by 68 inches. It is estimated at $30,000 to $50,000.
Top: Bob Kuhn (1920-2007), A Matter of Odds, acrylic on board, 26 x 47 in. Estimate: $150/250,000. Bottom: Carl Rungius (1869-1959), Headed to High Country, oil on canvas, 20 x 25 in. Estimate: $100/150,000. Earl Biss (Apsáalooke, 1947-1998), A Cold Wind on the Rainbow People, 1988, oil on canvas, 60 x 84 in. Estimate: $40/60,000
Biss will have at least three works available to bidders: The Shield of Bright Wings in the Morning (est. $20/30,000), Wandering Through Black Lodge (est. $20/30,000) and A Cold Wind on the Rainbow People (est. $40/60,000). Many recent Biss lots have sold over their estimates. Additionally, every single one of the artist’s top 15 auction records have occurred within the last six years.
While the auction is held on July 25, bidders are encouraged to attend the preview on July 24, which features a festive dinner and reception. —
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction
July 25, 2026
Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
2500 E. Second Street, Reno, NV 89595
(208) 772-9009
www.cdaartauction.com
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