On September 22, the Jackson Hole Art Auction realized nearly $4 million in sales across a variety of categories. With collectors, both locals and those traveling into Wyoming, on hand for the sale, the auction house saw impressive results with images of Native Americans and also wildlife. These came from living artists, as well as historic artists whose names perform strongly at auction all around the country.
Richard Lorenz (1858-1915), Indian Chief. Oil on canvas, 361⁄8 x 22 in. Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD: $72,000
The top lot was Status Symbols, a Howard Terpning portrait of a Native American figure holding a spear and shield. The piece, estimated at $200,000 to $500,000, sold within estimates at $390,000. Terpning also had a second work among the top-10 lots, Blackfeet Regalia, which sold for $84,000, just below its $100,000 low estimate. Terpning, who’s now in his 90s, was a student of Haddon Sundblom and came out of a successful career in illustration in the 1950s and 1960s.
Edgar Payne (1883-1947), Packers. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in. Estimate: $40/60,000 SOLD: $66,000
Wildlife master Bob Kuhn had three top-selling works: A Universe of Smells (est. $120/200,000) sold for $132,000, Rocky Mountain High (est. $90/120,000) sold for $108,000 and Spoiling for a Fight (est. $50/75,000) sold over estimates at $84,000. Kuhn is widely considered among the top wildlife artists in North America and is often paired with Carl Rungius in collections.
Bob Kuhn (1920-2007), A Universe of Smells, 1994. Acrylic on board, 18 x 22 in. Estimate: $120/200,000 SOLD: $132,000
John Clymer’s Last of the Buffalo sold for $120,000, below its $175,000 low estimate, while a Richard Lorenz painting, Indian Chief, sold for $72,000, well over its $50,000 high estimate. Similarly, Edgar S. Paxson’s painting Chief Joseph sold for $36,000, more than triple its $10,000 high estimate.
John Clymer (1907-1989), Last of the Buffalo. Oil on board, 24 x 36 in. Estimate: $175/275,000 SOLD: $120,000
In the landscape category, Edgar Payne’s Packers sold well, achieving $66,000, just over its high estimate of $60,000.
Top 10 LOTS
Jackson Hole Art Auction, September 22, 2023 (including buyer’s premiums)
Artist | Title | Low/High ESt. | SOLD
Howard Terpning | Status Symbols | $200/500,000 | $390,000
Carl Brenders | Lookout Tower, Timberwolves | $60/90,000 | $192,000
Bob Kuhn | A Universe of Smells | $120/200,000 | $132,000
John Clymer | Last of the Buffalo | $175/$275,000 | $120,000
Bob Kuhn | Rocky Mountain High | $90/120,000 | $108,000
Tucker Smith | Drift Fence | $70/100,000 | $84,000
Howard Terpning | Blackfeet Regalia | $100/200,000 | $84,000
Bob Kuhn | Spoiling for a Fight | $50/75,000 | $84,000
Tucker Smith | The Bear | $60/90,000 | $78,000
Richard Lorenz | Indian Chief | $30/50,000 | $72,000
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