A Strong Market

Western art soars to $15 million at the annual Scottsdale Art Auction in Arizona

On April 11 and 12, amid an unsteady market and economy, the Scottsdale Art Auction held a sale that realized $15 million in sales, set numerous new auction records and had a 97 percent sell-through rate. The markets may have been volatile, but bidders had other plans.

Thomas Moran (1837-1926), On the Hance Trail – Grand Canyon. Oil, 14½ x 20 in. Estimate: $750/1,000,000 SOLD: $725,400

“Despite the economic issues happening that week, we are thrilled at the number of people actively bidding throughout the duration of the sale,” says auction partner Brad Richardson. “The auction had stronger attendance than we have had in a few years and the enthusiastic bidding speaks to the quality of work we offered across the board. You can never count out the energy of Western collectors.”

The sale opened with a first session on April 11 that included key works from late 20th-century and contemporary artists. Consistent sales and high bids there set the stage for the April 12 session, which included 62 lots of the A.P. Hays Maynard Dixon Collection followed by the heavy hitters of the second session. The Dixon portion realized more than $1.5 million with every lot selling, including 69 percent of them above the high estimate. Highlights from that segment include Desert Rocks No. 2 / Camelback Mountain (est. $60/90,000) that sold for $152,000 and Mesa Toward Sunset (est. $40/60,000) that sold for $99,000. Campo Santo, a small study, sold for $76,000, more than five times over the high estimate of $15,000.

Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), Wind River Country – Wyo. Oil, 20 x 27 in. Estimate: $150/250,000 SOLD: $362,700

Deeper in the second session was the top lot, a major Thomas Moran painting, On the Hance Trail-Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, Arizona, that sold for $725,000, just missing estimates of $750,000 to $1 million. Not far behind it was Eanger Irving Couse’s Offering to the Great Spirit (est. $400/600,000) that sold for $409,000, and G. Harvey’s patriotic The American Dream (est. $250/350,000) that sold for $374,000. One of the stars of the second session was Joseph Henry Sharp’s Wind River Country – Wyo, which sold for $362,000, clearing its high estimate of $250,000 with lots of room to spare.

Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874-1952), The Edge of the Foothills. Oil on board, 24¼ x 30¼ in. Estimate: $175/275,000 SOLD: $257,400

Other key historic sales came from Oscar E. Berninghaus, Gerard Curtis Delano, Charles M. Russell, Frank Tenney Johnson and Fritz Scholder.

Several new world records were set, including for Charles Nahl, Earl Biss and the late modernist Ed Mell, whose abstracted horse and rider, Jack Knife, serves as the centerpiece of the Scottsdale Arts District. —

Top 10 LOTS
Scottsdale Art Auction, April 11-12, 2025 (including Buyer’s Premium)
Artist Title Low/High ESt. SOLD
Thomas Moran On the Hance Trail… $75/1,000,000 $725,400
Eanger Irving Couse Offering to the Great Spirit $400/600,000 $409,500
G. Harvey The American Dream $250/350,000 $374,400
Joseph Henry Sharp Wind River Country – Wyo $150/250,000 $362,700
Charles M. Russell Navajo Wild Horse Hunters $300/500,000 $315,900
Howard Terpning Making a Stand $250/350,000 $269,100
Oscar E. Berninghaus The Edge of the Foothills $175/275,000 $257,400
Gerard Curtis Delano The Fur Traders $250/350,000 $257,400
Frank Tenney Johnson A Lone Rider $225/300,000 $245,700
Fritz Scholder Indians and Persian Rug $100/150,000 $222,300