Iconic subjects from throughout the American West were present at the Scottsdale Art Auction’s annual spring sale April 14 and 15 in art-filled Scottsdale, Arizona. Subjects included cowboys and cattle, early American adventurers and explorers, sportsman and hunters, Native Americans from numerous tribes and many works that included horses.
Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874-1952), The Hunters, Taos. Oil, 35 x 40 in. Estimate: $750/1,250,000 SOLD: $1,562,000
These important works from the growing Western art segment of American art dazzled bidders, including many in the room who were bidding enthusiastically, often against other bidders in the room.
“We had a very active room with consistent bidding throughout the sale,” says Scottsdale Art Auction partner Brad Richardson. “We set out 450 chairs and they were almost all full, with people even standing in the back. We are very pleased to see people there in the room as they participate in the sale.”
John Clymer (1907-1989), Welcoming the Trade Boat. Oil, 30 x 60 in. Estimate: $300/500,000 SOLD: $555,750
The sale realized more than $13.8 million with a 98 percent sell-through rate. The top lot was Oscar E. Berninghaus’ The Hunters, Taos, which soared over its $1.25 million high estimate when it sold for $1.56 million. The work nudged past Berninghaus’ previous auction record of $1.47 million set in 2008.
Other top lots included works by Berninghaus’ colleagues in the Taos Society of Artists, including Eanger Irving Couse, whose work Taos Love Call sold at $702,000, well over its $500,000 high estimate, and Joseph Henry Sharp, whose painting Houses Where the Penitentes Live sold for $234,000, plenty over its $150,000 high estimate.
“The Taos Founders artwork held up extremely well,” says Richardson. “They always do very well for us, but these pieces were some of the stars of the sale.”
John Clymer had two major works in the auction, including Welcoming the Trade Boat (est. $300/500,000) which sold for $555,750. G. Harvey also had numerous paintings in the sale, of which two ended up in the top 10 lots: Snowflakes (est. $475/100,000) sold for $292,000 and Breaking Cabin Fever (est. $100/150,000) sold for $257,000.
Eanger Irving Couse (1866-1936), Taos Love Call. Oil, 34 x 46 in. Estimate: $300/500,000 SOLD: $702,000
Edgar Payne (1883-1947), Riders in Canyon de Chelly. Oil, 25 x 30 in. Estimate: $200/300,000 SOLD: $280,800
Edgar Payne was represented in the sale with Riders in Canyon de Chelly, one of his famous canyon paintings. The work was estimated at $200,000 to $300,000, and nearly surpassed those numbers when it sold at $280,000. Payne has had a hot streak at auction, both his Western scenes and his California and coastal paintings.
Other artists who performed strongly were Bob Kuhn, William R. Leigh, Norman Rockwell, Olaf C. Seltzer, Frank Tenney Johnson and E. Martin Hennings.
Top 10 Sales
Scottsdale Art Auction, April 14-15, 2023 (Including buyer’s premium)
Artist | Title | Low/High Est. | SOLD
Oscar E. Berninghaus | The Hunters, Taos | $750/1,250,000 | $1,562,000
Eanger Irving Couse | Taos Love Call | $300/500,000 | $702,000
John Clymer | Welcoming the Trade Boat | $300/500,000 | $555,750
Eanger Irving Couse | Indian Boy and Brave Looking at a Blanket | $400/600,000 | $526,500
Martin Grelle | Meat Seekers at the Teewinot | $150/200,000 | $386,100
G. Harvey | Snowflakes | $75/100,000 | $292,500
John Clymer | Wood Smoke Tales | $250/450,000 | $286,650
Edgar Payne | Riders in Canyon de Chelly | $200/300,000 | $280,800
Howard Terpning | Buffalo Runners | $125/175,000 | $269,100
G. Harvey | Breaking Cabin Fever | $100/150,000 | $257,400
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