There were fireworks in the room at the Couer d’Alene Art Auction’s July 23 sale in Reno, Nevada. They were in the shape of cowboys, hunters, ropers, riders and all manner of creatures. When it was all said and done, the sale had achieved a number of major artist records, a 94 percent sell-through rate and $16.4 million in sales.

William Herbert “Buck” Dunton (1878-1936), Treed, ca. 1915. Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in. Estimate: $400/600,000 SOLD: $1,434,000

“It was one of the most fun sales I’ve had the pleasure of being in within the last five or six years,” says Mike Overby, one of the partners of the sale. “We had lots of old friends back with us, and many new friends there too. The energy in the room was unsurpassed with more than 300 people in the room and more than 400 registered bidders online. We also had bidders in Taiwan and Australia, as well as many of our bidders in Europe. You can’t ask for better sales.”

Philip R. Goodwin (1881-1935), Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Oil on canvas, 30 x 39 in. Estimate: $150/250,000 SOLD: $968,000

The top lot in the sale was William Herbert “Buck” Dunton’s Treed, estimated at $400,000 to $600,000. Overby says they were expecting strong bidding for the piece because it was a larger, museum-quality work from the artist, which are rare on the market. “It ranks up there as one of my favorite works of all the 35 years of the sale,” Overby says. “It’s just a stunning piece, so expectations were high.” By the end of bidding, expectations had been surpassed completely: the work sold for $1.4 million, shattering a 2008 record of $881,000.

Edgar Payne (1883-1947), Canyon de Chelly, ca. 1916-19. Oil on canvas, 26 x 32 in. Estimate: $150/250,000 SOLD: $484,000

Two other Dunton works, Crest of the Ridge, Grizzly (est. $200/300,000) and The Hunter’s Return (est. $200/300,000), also performed well when they sold above estimates at $453,000 and $363,000.

Another artist who had magnificent sales was Philip R. Goodwin, whose work Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (est. $150/250,000) sold for $968,000, crushing a record set by Coeur d’Alene Art Auction in 2021 for $453,000. Another Goodwin, the 24-by-14-inch Quenching Two Thirsts (est. $60/90,000), sold for $363,000, breaking a per-square-inch record of $1,058 per square inch.Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), Shooting the Buffalo, ca. 1892. Oil on canvas, 27 x 33 in. Estimate: $400/600,000 SOLD: $847,000

Other tops lots were Edgar Payne’s Canyon de Chelly (est. $150/250,000) that sold for $484,000, Alfred Jacob Miller’s The Lost Greenhorn (est. $300/500,000) that sold for $484,000 and two works by Charles M. Russell, Shooting the Buffalo (est. $400/600,000) that sold for $847,000 and Mexican Vaqueros Roping a Steer (est. $400/600,000) that sold for $544,500. A Harvey Dunn work, The Homesteaders (est. $150/250,000) sold for $393,250, tripling a previous world record for the artist.

Harvey Dunn (1884-1952), The Homesteaders, 1942. Oil on canvas, 40 x 60 in. Estimate: $150/250,000 SOLD: $393,250

Another noteworthy record includes Kathryn Leighton’s The Firemaker, Two Guns White Calf, estimated at $30,000 to $50,000. The work sold for $96,800, tripling the previous record from 2006.

Other artists that had high sales are Edgar Payne, Gerard Curtis Delano, Joseph Henry Sharp and Peter Hurd, who has had several major works at the Reno sale in recent years.

Top 10 LOTS

Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, July 23, 2022 (including buyer’s premium)

Artist  •  Title  •  Low/High ESt.  •  SOLD

W. Herbert “Buck” Dunton  •  Treed  •  $400/600,000  •  $1,434,000

Philip R. Goodwin  •  Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea  •  $150/250,000  •  $968,000

Charles M. Russell  •  Shooting the Buffalo  •  $400/600,000  •  $847,000

Charles M. Russell  •  Mexican Vaqueros Roping a Steer  •  $400/600,000  •  $544,500

Edgar Payne  •  Canyon de Chelly  •  $150/250,000  •  $484,000

Alfred Jacob Miller  •  The Lost Greenhorn  •  $300/500,000  •  $484,000

W. Herbert “Buck” Dunton  •  Crest of the Ridge, Grizzly  •  $200/300,000  •  $453,750

Harvey Dunn  •  The Homesteaders  •  $150/250,000  •  $393,250

Philip R. Goodwin  •  Quenching Two Thirts  •  $60/90,000  •  $363,000

Edgar Payne  •  Land of the Navajo  •  $300/500,000  •  $363,000

W. Herbert “Buck” Dunton  •  The Hunter’s Return  •  $200/300,000  •  $363,000

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