Western and wildlife art are the major themes of the Jackson Hole Art Auction that will take place on September 16 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The sale will offer more than 300 lots, including many historic works from top artists who documented the American West.
Carl Rungius (1869-1959), Caribou. Oil on canvas, 47 x 49½ in. Estimate: $500/700,000
The sale has often had a strong focus on wildlife, and this year’s auction will be no exception. “Wildlife has always been our stronghold within the sale. Wildlife consistently comes to us, whether that is Carl Rungius, Bob Kuhn, Ken Carlson, Wilhelm Kuhnert or many others, our sales are typically well represented by many of the greats,” says the auction’s managing director Kevin Doyle. “We bring out all the big guns, and always with very high-quality pieces.”
One of the top lots being watched is Rungius’ Caribou, a work that has been with an East Coast family since 1930. It has never been exhibited publicly. The work is estimated at $500,000 to $700,000, which could put it among the highest-selling Rungius paintings ever brought to auction. Rungius’ auction record is $952,000, followed by $642,000. “It’s definitely leading the way at this year’s sale,” Doyle says. “The National Museum of Wildlife Art has a caribou painting, but this one has these really beautiful pinks and blues. The size and scale of the work are also impressive. And it’s basically been untouched since it was created—it’s in the original frame and everything.”
Frederic Remington (1861-1909), Feeding the Dogs (Hunting Musk Ox: Feeding Sledge Dogs in the Barren Grounds). Oil on grisaille on canvas, 22 x 20 in. Estimate: $80/120,000
Seven Rungius pieces will be offered at the sale, although Caribou is the only oil—the other six are his treasured drypoint etchings that are chased down by passionate collectors. Famed Saturday Evening Post illustrator John Clymer will have one work available, Last of the Buffalo (Buffalo Killers), showing two hunters using rifles to bring down buffalo amid a snowy scene. The work is estimated at $175,000 to $275,000.
Another work showing Native Americans is Frederic Remington’s Feeding the Dogs (Hunting Musk Ox: Feeding Sledge Dogs in the Barren Grounds), which originally appeared in an 1896 issue of Harper’s Monthly. The work is listed as No. 2030 in the Remington catalogue raisonné.
John Clymer (1907-1989), Last of the Buffalo (Buffalo Killers). Oil on board, 24 x 36 in. Estimate: $175/275,000
Other works include pieces by Edgar Paxson, Harold von Schmidt, Olaf Wieghorst and Hermann Herzog’s 1868 painting Waterfall in the Rocky Mountains, estimated at $25,000 to $45,000.
The entire sale will take place over one session on September 16. The sale will take place at the Center for the Arts, a short walk from the Jackson Hole Town Square. A preview will be held nearby prior to the sale. Refer to the website for additional information.
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