It started innocuous enough on Lot 2, a Carl Roters horse painting that went $5,000 over estimates. Then more lots: Carl Hantman, Russ Vickers, Don Crowley, Frank McCarthy. All over estimates. When a Billy Schenck painting doubled its high estimate in Lot 17, that was the Jackson Hole Art Auction delivering a message: “Hang on, cowboy.”
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), Courting Couple at Midnight, 1919. Oil on canvas, 24 x 19 in. Estimate: $500/700,000 SOLD: $900,000
More than 350 lots later, the annual auction had racked up more than $13.5 million in sales with 97 percent lots sold. To put that into perspective, the total high-estimate value of the sale was only $10.2 million. It is a record for the auction house.
“It was a very good sale. In fact, we’ve been hearing from consigners, clients and even competitors who have been very impressed,” Kevin Doyle, managing director, says. “I’m so grateful to be in this genre. It doesn’t get more exciting than this.”
Doyle attributes much of the sale’s success on the quality of the work, particularly its freshness to the market. He notes that several pieces hadn’t been seen in as many as 40 years, which translates into big money from collectors who are hunting down top-quality works.
Carl Rungius (1869-1959), Pronghorn Antelope. Oil on canvas, 29¼ x 46 in. Estimate: $200/300,000 SOLD: $780,000
Highlights in the sale include many lots that exceeded their estimates by huge factors. One of the biggest was Kenneth Riley’s 1980 painting Welcome Shade. The high estimate was $30,000, but bidders had other plans as they sent the price soaring. After a flurry of bids, the sale closed at $540,000, a world record price for the artist. “It was the biggest anomaly of the sale. So many people came into the gallery looking at that piece, so I knew something was up with it. Five or six people told me they really wanted it and expressed how the estimate for it was right. One bidder set his max bid at $200,000 and he was sure he was going to get it. No one could have anticipated it would go so high,” Doyle says. “But that’s the fun of auctions—you just never know when two bidders are going to chase what they want.”
Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), Start of the Roundup, 1898. Watercolor on paper, 14½ x 20½ in. Estimate: $180/250,000 SOLD: $720,000
Other lots that exceeded estimates were Norman Rockwell’s Courting Couple at Midnight (est. $500/700,000) that sold for $900,000, Carl Rungius’ Pronghorn Antelope (est. $200/300,000) that sold for $780,000, Charles M. Russell’s watercolor Start of the Roundup (est. $180/250,000) that sold for $720,000, and G. Harvey’s When Cowboys Move On (est. $100/200,000) that sold for $600,000. Other artists who exceeded estimates were Eanger Irving Couse, William R. Leigh, John Falter, Melvin Warren, John Clymer, James Boren, John Cowan, Charles Wysocki, O.C. Seltzer and John Marchand. —
Top 10 LOTS
Jackson Hole Art Auction, September 13, 2025 (including Buyer’s Premium)
Artist Title Low/High ESt. SOLD
Norman Rockwell Courting Couple at Midnight $500/700,000 $900,000
Carl Rungius Pronghorn Antelope $200/300,000 $780,000
Charles M. Russell Start of the Roundup $180/250,000 $720,000
G. Harvey When Cowboys Move On $100/200,000 $600,000
William R. Leigh Grizzly’s End $300/500,000 $570,000
Kenneth Riley Welcome Shade $20/30,000 $540,000
Eanger Irving Couse The Hunter $150/250,000 $390,000
G. Harvey Cowboy Country Club $70/100,000 $348,000
G. Harvey Riding the Salt River Canyon $20/40,000 $270,000
Mark Maggiori High Noon $75/125,000 $240,000
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