For more than 40 years, the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has set the standard for Western and American art, earning recognition from the Wall Street Journal as “the biggest and most successful auction of Western art.” Held annually in Reno, Nevada, the 41st annual auction on July 25 will present museum-quality works by artists including Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, Charles Schreyvogel, Maynard Dixon and Eanger Irving Couse.
Sotheby’s, Mount Mansfield, Vermont, 1859. Oil on canvas, 10¾ x 20½ in., by Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823-1880).
Landscape art remains a cornerstone of the sale, with significant works by Thomas Moran, Edgar Payne, Thomas Hill, Armin Carl Hansen, William Wendt and Rockwell Kent. With more than $400 million in sales over the past two decades and hundreds of world-record prices achieved, Coeur d’Alene remains one of the premier destinations for collectors of historic American landscape painting.
Among the landscapes currently available at Debra Force Fine Art are Sunrise in New Hampshire, 1852, by John Frederick Kensett; and Granite Quarries, Rockport, Massachusetts, 1913, by Abraham Leon Kroll.
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, Yosemite Valley, 1900. Oil on canvas, 36 x 54 in., by Thomas Hill (1829 -1908). Available in the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction in Reno, Nevada, on July 25. Estimate: $100/150,000
Kensett was one of the leaders of the second generation of Hudson River School painters and an important participant in New York art and literary circles. Every summer between 1841 and 1872, he undertook sketching tours of the countryside, often accompanied by other artists and friends. The White Mountains of New Hampshire were one of his favorite sites, Sunrise in New Hampshire was either painted on one of these trips or executed in the studio based on sketches done on location. It displays Kensett’s characteristic affinity for portraying a serene scene of beauty, with the rising sun creating a luminist effect as the light suffuses the landscape.
Kroll studied in New York City at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League before traveling to Paris, where he was exposed to the work of Paul Cézanne, which would have a profound influence on his mature style. In Granite Quarries, Rockport, Massachusetts, the saturated palette, vibrant brushwork and painterly patches of color give dimension to the rolling landscape and the rocky hillsides that make up the sides of the quarry, a common geological phenomenon in this area of Massachusetts. The sharp outlines and strong forms of the architecture elements, including the bridge, train tracks and houses overlooking the sea, create a balance between the natural and the man-made components.
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, Caliente Hills, No. 1, 1930. Oil on canvas laid on board. 16 x 20 in., by Maynard Dixon (1875 - 1946). Available in the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction in Reno, Nevada, on July 25. Estimate: $70/ 100,000
Debra Force Fine Art, Sunrise in New Hampshire, 1852. Oil on canvas, 17¼ x 25 in., by John Frederick Kensett (1818-1872)
On the heels of a massively successful April sale that achieved $16.5 million, Scottsdale Art Auction is presenting its annual live online Summer Auction on August 22, featuring premier historic and contemporary Western, wildlife and sporting art. Alongside major works like E. Martin Henning’s Fall Aspens, are impressive landscapes by Charles Christian Eisele and James Swinnerton. German-born Eisele immigrated to the United States in 1869 and became known for his landscapes of the American West and Midwest. Eisele often portrayed dramatic natural settings with a spiritual quality, earning recognition for his contributions to the cultural history of the American frontier. During the late 1880s, he also painted Florida landscapes, including scenes along the Ocklawaha River. These works combined detailed depictions of native flora with atmospheric lighting effects, reflecting his appreciation for the region’s unique beauty.
His painting Moonlight on the Oklawaha is notable for its evocative nocturnal setting and detailed steamboat imagery, which may also suggest a commentary on the growing impact of industrialization on the natural environment.
Debra Force Fine Art, Granite Quarries, Rockport, Massachusetts, 1913. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in., by Abraham Leon Kroll (1884-1974).
Swinnerton was a pioneering American cartoonist and painter whose work helped shape the early development of newspaper comics. After studying in San Francisco, he joined William Randolph Hearst’s Examiner in 1892 and later became known for popular comic features including Mr. Jack and Little Jimmy. Though best remembered for his contributions to comic art, Swinnerton also became an accomplished painter of the American Southwest. After moving to Arizona for health reasons in the early 1900s, he developed a deep appreciation for the desert landscape, which inspired both his paintings and later comic work. His vibrant depictions of the Southwest helped establish him as an important figure in both American illustration and Western art.
A private gallery based in Bedford, New York, Godel & Co. is showcasing two impressive paintings in its inventory, including celebrated marine and landscape painter Alfred Thompson Bricher’s Early Autumn on Long Island, circa 1886-90; and Catnip Island near Greenwich, Connecticut, by second generation Hudson River School artist David Johnson.
Godel & Co., Early Autumn on Long Island, ca. 1886-90. Oil on canvas, 26 x 48 in., signed lower right: A.T. Bricher, by Alfred Thompson Bricher (1837-1908).
Godel & Co., Catnip Island near Greenwich, Connecticut, 1878-79. Oil on canvas, 22 x 34 in., signed and dated lower right: DJ 78, by David Johnson (1827-1908).
Largely self-taught, Bricher worked in the Catskill and White Mountains and along the New England coast during the 1860s, sketching from nature and absorbing the influence of many luminist painters, including Frederic Church, John F. Kensett and Fitz Henry Lane. Painted during a period of transition, Early Autumn on Long Island shows the artist incorporating elements of the Barbizon style that had become popular in America during the 1870s. Bricher also included a prominent figure in the scene. Finally, the dramatic composition, in which the trees fan out against the sky on a spit of land that juts into the water, suggests that in this painting, Bricher was moving beyond the compositional formula he had inherited from Kensett and other marine artists. In addition to these innovations, Early Autumn on Long Island presents an open, atmospheric image of great appeal.
Scottsdale Art Auction, From Grand View Ranch. Oil, 12 x 16 in. by James Swinnerton (1875-1974). Available in Scottsdale Art Auction’s annual online sale on August 22. Estimate: $2,500/3,500
Johnson visited Cos Cob, Connecticut, in October of 1878. Catnip Island near Greenwich, Connecticut is the largest known picture that Johnson painted based on his visit. The island that it depicts (now known as Bluff Island) is one of the many small outcroppings in the vicinity of Cos Cob Harbor and Greenwich Cove. Like Kensett before him, Johnson presented these rock formations in a striking asymmetrical profile, but unlike his predecessor, whose late work bordered on abstraction, Johnson included figures boating and walking along a path, as well as a good deal of foreground detail. Compositionally, the work is consistent with Johnson’s previous work and with that of many of his fellow Hudson River School painters during the 1870s. Although evidence for the painting’s exhibition has not yet surfaced, its large size and high degree of finish suggests that Johnson painted it either for exhibition or for an important commission.
Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers has built a solid international reputation upon integrity, knowledge of fine art, personalized service and solid results. Here the auction house is shining a spotlight on two exceptional past sales: William Trost Richard’s Mother and Child in an Autumn Landscape, 1876, which achieved $300,000; and the $112,500 sale of Newport Beach, Rhode Island by Thomas Worthington Whittredge.
Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers, Newport Beach, Rhode Island. Oil on canvas, 15¼ x 23¼ in., signed lower right: ‘W. Whittredge’, by Thomas Worthington Whittredge (1820-1910. SOLD: $112,500
Scottsdale Art Auction, Black Cañon of the Gunnison, Colo. Oil, 22 x 36 in., by Charles Christian Eisele (1854-1919). Available in Scottsdale Art Auction’s annual online sale on August 22. Estimate: $4/6,000
Richard’s early works reflect the romantic style of the Hudson River School, emphasizing dramatic landscapes and detailed renderings of nature. In 1858, Richards saw an exhibition of English Pre-Raphaelite paintings in Philadelphia. This style of painting, especially the hyperrealistic style and brilliant coloring would influence Richards greatly. He joined an American Pre-Raphaelite group, pursuing the ideal of truth to nature in his paintings and, although the movement was short-lived, many agree that Richards’ Pre-Raphaelite landscapes are among his finest accomplishments. The present example is a masterful work from this important period in the artist’s career. The small figures lend a sense of majestic scale to the landscape, a motif common in Hudson River School paintings. The landscape is incredibly detailed with variations of autumnal colors in the leaves and an atmospheric twilight sky illuminated by a crescent moon.
In 1859, Whittredge returned to the United States, and spent a month in Newport, Rhode Island, before opening a studio in New York at the famed Tenth Street Studio building. Beginning in 1866, Whittredge made three visits to the Western states traveling to New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming. In the late 1860s and early 1870s, he found inspiration in the beaches and colonial architecture of Newport. The present work depicts a quiet day on the beach with a carriage carrying visitors along the shoreline. In the distance, sailboats dot the horizon line with couples walking along the sand. The foreground, with densely painted trees and rocks is typical of Whittredge’s landscapes while the atmospheric sky and foggy horizon is painted in a Luminist style.
Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers, Mother and Child in an Autumn Landscape, 1876. Oil on canvas, panel backed, 24¼ x 20¼ in., signed and dated lower left: ‘Wm. T. Richards, 1876’, by William Trost Richards (1833-1905). SOLD: $300,000
Sotheby’s, Cobb’s Barns, South Truro, 1930-33. Oil on canvas, 34 x 49¾ in., by Edward Hopper (1882-1967).
This summer Sotheby’s will host American Views: People and Places in the galleries of the storied Breuer Building in New York. The exhibition is open to the public from July 1 through August 15 and explores the rich continuum of American art and culture produced since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, including masterworks like Edward Hopper’s Cobb’s Barns, South Truro, 1930-33; and Mount Mansfield, Vermont, 1859, by Sanford Robinson Gifford. American Views: People and Places will highlight American art, literature, craft and ephemera to trace a layered narrative of U.S. history through its visual and material culture. Grounded by a selection of important works by leading American figures, the exhibition will have a particular focus on how artists, writers, designers and craftsmen sought a national identity through their depictions of the American landscape, and the American people, through a diversity of media. Key themes explored include the building of a nation, landscape as national identity and visual portrayals of American lives and culture.
The compelling beauty of Maine landscapes in all their color and variety is on full display across the American fine art offerings in Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ Summer Grandeur Auction in late August. One standout lot in the sale is William Thon’s dynamic oil on Masonite, The Waterfall (est. $15/20,000), from the private collection of Linda Bean. The painting captures the depth and dramatic shading of a forest waterway in autumn. In another sale highlight by early-20th century California impressionist George Shawe, a tranquil afternoon picnic at the height of springtime unfolds in hues of gentle blues, golds, purples and greens. The untitled piece is expected to realize between $1,000 and $2,000. Tune into Thomaston Place’s Summer Grandeur Auction from August 28 through 30 to explore these works and others by interesting American painters of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Waterfall. Oil on board, signed lower right, by William Thon (1906-2000). From the estate of Linda Bean. Available in the Summer Grandeur auction, August 28 to 30. Estimate: $15/20,000
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Untitled. Oil on linen, 23½ x 35½ in., by George Shawe (1915-1995). Available in the Summer Grandeur auction, August 28 to 30. Estimate: $1/2,000
Based in Shelburne, Vermont, J. Kenneth Fine Art has expanded its focus to include paintings that reflect the unique qualities of the New England landscape, especially Maine and Vermont. As a representative of the Estate of Frances Kornbluth, the gallery has a significant selection of Kornbluth’s unique, expressive landscapes and seascapes of Maine’s Monhegan Island. The work of Vermont’s Marion Huse is also a fixture at J. Kenneth Fine Art. A selection of her paintings is the subject of a July exhibition at the gallery titled Marion Huse: Traveler-Vermont, New Mexico and Europe.
A sandy path winds its way past sparse pines toward the water in Georgiana Howland’s richly-textured canvas Long Island Island Landscape, a gem currently available at Hawthorne Fine Art, a private gallery in Manhattan. A New York native, Howland studied under William Merritt Chase at the New York School of Art, and at the Shinnecock Hills School of Art in Southampton, Long Island. She specialized in landscape painting, often depicting views near her country home in Shinnecock Hills. She was included among Chase’s close-knit group of neighbors. In a 1923 article for the high society magazine, The Spur, it was said that beyond Chase’s love for his wife and children was his love for his Suffolk County neighbors, including Georgiana Howland.
J. Kenneth Fine Art, To the City, 1956. Watercolor, 10 x 13¼ in., by Frances Kornbluth (1920-2014).
Hawthorne Fine Art, Long Island Landscape. Oil on board, 20 x 24 in., signed lower left, by Georgiana Howland (1862-1929).
A founding member and vice-president of the Art Workers’ Club for Women, Howland exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the National Arts Club. Following Chase, Howland helped to organize an exhibition honoring his legacy. The exhibition, comprised of the work of former Chase students, was held at Southampton’s Memorial Hall in 1922. —
Featured Galleries, Auction Houses & Museums
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction
Reno, Nevada
t: (208) 772-9009
info@cdaartauction.com
www.cdaartauction.com
Debra Force Fine Art, Inc.
13 E. 69th Street, Suite 4F, New York, NY 10021
t: (212) 734-3636
info@debraforce.com
www.debraforce.com
Godel & Co., Inc.
Bedford, NY
By Appointment
t: (914) 205-3695
info@godelfineart.com
www.godelfineart.com
Hawthorne Fine Art
155 E. 55th Street, Suite 5K, New York, NY 10022
By Appointment
t: (212) 731-0550
info@hawthornefineart.com
www.hawthornefineart.com
J. Kenneth Fine Art
145 Pine Haven Shores, Shelburne, Vermont
t: (802) 540-0267
jkennethfineart@gmail.com
www.jkennethfineart.com
Scottsdale Art Auction
7176 Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
t: (480) 945-0225
www.scottsdaleartauction.com
Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers
49 Research Drive, Milford, CT 06460
t: (203) 877-1711
info@shannons.com
www.shannons.com
Sotheby’s New York
945 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10021
t: (212) 606-7000
www.sothebys.com
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
51 Atlantic Highway, Thomaston, ME 04861
t: (207) 354-8141
info@thomastonauction.com
www.thomastonauction.com
Toledo Museum of Art
2445 Monroe Street, Toledo, OH 43620
t: (419) 255-8000
www.toledomuseum.org
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