Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2025/No. 209 i Western Art Collector

Happy New Year! As New Year’s resolutions abound in our homes there is one we want you to keep this year. The team at Western Art Collector have vested interest in this. We invite you to Arizona. Not only is it a great place to visit in January for art lovers, cowboys, golfers, hikers and outdoor adventurers, it is our world headquarters. Yes, the magic of this magazine comes together every month right here in Scottsdale, Arizona. In this issue we roll out the red carpet for the Grand Canyon State with the 2025 edition of our popular State of the Art: Arizona destination guide, which starts on Page 60. Michael Clawson and his team have made it easy for you to accomplish your New Year’s resolutions in Arizona. We…

1 Western art crosses the Atlantic Ocean with Jack Browning Proving that the American West is a lifestyle that can't be contained by a border, Jack Browning is tearing it up in the United Kingdom, both as an aspiring artist and a professional musician. Largely self-taught and working with themes of “folklore, storytelling, history and ethnography,” Browning is in love with the American West and utilizes his unique perspective as an outsider to inform his compositions. His work has already found American collectors, especially after pieces were shown during a summer show at the Taos Art Museum. The artist is presently working on his first body of work for a United States audience. He’s also been mentored by several American artists, including Western painter Joshua LaRock. See more of his work—and…

Auctions about art. But the numbers tell their own stories. And sometimes those stories are fascinating. Western Art Collector asked the top Western art auctions about their top lots, record-breaking pieces or just the most interesting piece of art that sold in the house’s history. The responses we got back are fascinating. Enjoy! March in Montana In 2022, March in Montana acquired two Olaf Wieghorst paintings for its March sale in Great Falls, Montana. The pieces were painted after the artist visited the Blue Front Bar in Glenwood, New Mexico. Wieghorst was friends with Quarter Circle 2C Ranch owner Elton Cunningham, who was friendly with the bar’s owner, John Allred and his son Gus. “The story as told by Gus Allred is that one day when Olaf or ‘Ollie’ as…

The Russell: A Western Art Experience • 400 13th Street North, Great Falls, MT 59401 (406) 727-1939 • therussellsale.org The C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana, is hosting its premiere fundraising event The Russell from March 20 to 22. Gather with friends old and new at the art preview party, where collectors can get an exclusive look at the artwork to be sold at the First Strike sale and the main event, The Russell Live. Glimpse into the mind and talent of revered artists at Art in Action, the museum’s signature variation of a traditional “quickdraw.” Go head-to-head at First Strike, an auction solely dedicated to the works of contemporary artists. Then make sure not to miss the crowning event of Western Art Week, The Russell Live Auction. Featuring both…

2737 Larimer Street, Suite C, Denver, CO 80205 • (303) 825-1855 • www.hindmanauctions.com Freeman’s | Hindman is a leading fine art auction house connecting cities nationwide to the global art market. With offices and salerooms throughout the country, the auction house conducts more than 140 auctions annually. The Western and wildlife art department specializes in handling historic and contemporary Western art including works by Western pioneering artists, Taos Society founders, living and deceased Cowboy Artists of America, New Mexico modernists and established Southwestern artists. Other regional landscape and figural works by artists from the Western states and Colorado are among the firm’s featured consignments. Upcoming auctions: Western and Contemporary Native American Art May 2025 Denver, CO…

213 E. Sherman Avenue, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 • (208) 664-2091 info@marchinmontana.com • www.marchinmontana.com Taking place March 20 to 22 at the Great Falls Elks Club in Great Falls, Montana, the 38th annual March in Montana sale and show is set to be a centerpiece of Western Art Week in Great Falls. This year’s event features a spectacular lineup of works by legendary artist Charles M. Russell, including two exceptional watercolors of Native American portraits, one depicting the iconic Chief Joseph. Also show-cased are a beautifully detailed watercolor of whitetail deer and an early depiction of a rodeo in the Judith Basin. These masterpieces are sure to draw significant attention from collectors and enthusiasts alike. Presented by Coeur d’Alene Galleries and Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, March in Montana Auction &…

7176 Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 • (480) 945-0225 • www.scottsdaleartauction.com Under the banner Scottsdale Art Auction, dealers Mike Frost (Bartfield Galleries of New York City) and Brad Richardson (Legacy Gallery of Scottsdale, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico) joined together and presented their first sale on April 2, 2005, at Richardson’s Legacy Gallery on Main Street in Old Town Scottsdale. For almost 20 years, Scottsdale Art Auction has organized a Western art auction held in sunny Scottsdale in the spring of each year. Recent demand has triggered the addition of an online auction, yearly in August. Since its record-setting inception, Scottsdale Art Auction has collected more than 250 world auction records. “Combining our various fields of expertise and taking advantage of our geographic diversity, we should be able to…

wayoutwestfestyyc@gmail.com www.purewestartauction.com The seventh edition of Canada’s premier Western art auction, the Pure West Auction, will be held on June 22 on the historic grounds of the Deane House in Calgary, Alberta. The afternoon auction is prefaced with live Western music, quick-draws, speakers and Western-inspired drinks and food. The auction offers a curated mix of new pieces from a charter member group of artists, as well as a wide selection of historic pieces and modern work from artists and consignors across North America. The sale is live, with online and proxy bidding available. Artist and consignor queries are welcome. Visit the website for more information on consignments and watch for online bidding beginning May 2025. Upcoming auctions: Pure West Auction June 22, 2025 Calgary, Alberta…

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Plenty of artists know a thing or two about horses, but you could write a hefty tome on horses with the material floating around in the brains of Howard Post and Teal Blake. The two artists bring considerable history to their work: Post, a former rodeo rider, has been around horses his entire life, as has Blake, who occasionally works as a real cowboy and rides with the Cowboy Artists of America. Between the two of them, their Western depictions of horses don’t get much more authentic. Both artists, who have never shown together before, will be presenting new works in the show Howard Post & Teal Blake: Paintbrush Cowboys, opening January 24 at Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, Arizona. On view will be Post’s quiet Western scenes with his…

Painter Veronica Brown grew up in rural Missouri, which allowed her to be around horses of all kinds, including with her grandfather, who would harness, work and care for a team of draft horses. Those subjects are now part of her studio. “Like most creatives, I get excited about color, light, pattern and shape, as well as certain subject matter and the memories that it evokes,” Brown says. “I want to show the viewer that the eyes of both man and critter can show a personality, that lighting can be everything, and that there is a vast amount of subtle, often unexpected color in nature. I want to open the viewer’s eyes…I want to paint a moment, or capture a feeling, but not an exact copy of what is before…

High-end silver and leather have long been part of fine art in the West, and routinely turn up in collections because of how these items complement paintings and sculptures in depictions of the American West. This is the basis for the Cowboy Arts & Gear Museum’s annual 2025 Bit, Spur & Rawhide Reins Contest, which returns to the Elko, Nevada, museum on January 31. The show, which will be held in tandem with the museum’s Shadow Riders exhibition, will feature a contest and sale, both which will culminate on January 31, when the museum awards prizes for the winning pieces and sells the works in a live sale. This year’s theme is Sinners & Saints, which includes a “lady leg” design motif in every piece. All of the participating makers…

Choosing a cover for Western Art Collector is one of the joys of every magazine deadline. It’s an agonizing kind of joy, but one I look forward C to every month. The process is easier than you think: we have a folder on our system where any member of our editorial or design team can drop images that they think are candidates. As artwork arrives, the folder starts filling up. I’m bad about putting too many images in there. We consider every show, every artist and every artwork. Nothing is off the table. At the end of the month we mock up the candidates with our logo, and then our team talks through each one. It’s a spirited debate as each person makes the case for their favorite. We consider…

15210 N. 99th Avenue, Sun City, AZ 85351 • (602) 581-7748 contact@bradfordsauction.com • www.bradfordsauction.com Specializing in fine Western and Native American art, artifacts and collectibles, Bradford’s Auction Gallery connects sellers and collectors through online auctions with global reach. Founded in 2019, Bradford’s expertise in Western and Native art attracts more than 36,000 bidders from 84 countries. With a commitment to transparency and exceptional service, the auction gallery offers tailored solutions for estates, fiduciaries and collectors alike. Whether you’re a collector seeking rare finds or an estate executor needing a seamless solution, Bradford’s handles every detail of the collecting process, from accurate valuations to compelling marketing. Upcoming auctions: Wild West Art Auction Spring and Fall 2025 Sun City, AZ Jewelers Vault Auction Quarterly 2025 Sun City, AZ Collectors Firearm Auction Spring…

11944 N. Tracey Road, Hayden, ID 83835 • (208) 772-9009 • www.cdaartauction.com For the past 40 years, the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has specialized in the finest classical Western and American Art representing past masters and outstanding contemporary artists, including Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington, Maynard Dixon, Thomas Moran, Howard Terpning and other fine Western artists. The auction principals have more than 100 years of combined experience in selling fine art and have netted their clients over $400 million in the last 20 years alone. As the largest auction house in the country dealing in Western and American artwork, Coeur d’Alene holds more than 160 world record prices and achieves consistent sales for consignors with 96 percent of all lots sold on average at their three annual auctions. Coeur d’Alene…

130 E. Broadway, Jackson Hole, WY 83001 • (866) 549-9278 coordinator@jacksonholeartauction.com • www.jacksonholeartauction.com A market leader in Western and wildlife for more than 18 years, Jackson Hole Art Auction’s three annual sales offer a high standard of works across several genres, including wildlife, sporting, figurative, landscape and Western art by both classical masters and contemporary artists. The auction house’s annual September sale has been recognized as one of the premier art events in the country and is a signature part of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, attracting collectors from across the country and abroad. JHAA’s sales feature works from highly collected artists such as John Clymer, Howard Terpning, Bob Kuhn, Carl Rungius, Joseph Henry Sharp, Frederic Remington, John Nieto and Robert Bateman, among many others. Auctions, private sales and artist…

www.oldwestevents.com Old West Events, in partnership with Morphy Auctions, will host the annual Las Vegas Old West Show & Auction January 24 and 25. The event consists of a vendor sale and a live auction, with prestigious dealers and galleries from across the country represented in the vendor show. Both the show and auction will feature authentic Western and Native American artifacts for sale. The shows are regarded as the premier vendor shows in the Western collecting community, while the auctions regularly offer outstanding examples of highly collectible works from both contemporary and deceased fine artists like Edward Borein, Maynard Dixon, A.D.M. Cooper, Charles M. Russell, Edward S. Curtis, W.H.D. Koerner, Will James, Joe Beeler, Marjorie Reed, Olaf Wieghorst, William Moyers, Michael Coleman and many others. Contact Cheryl Goyda at…

7233 Blanco Road, San Antonio, TX 78216 • (210) 822-6155 • info@vogtauction.com www.texasauction.com Vogt Auction Galleries is one of the top independent auction houses in Texas with more than $13 million in annual sales. Notable auctions included the personal estates of artists such as G. Harvey, José Vives-Atsara, Clay McGaughy and author Larry McMurtry. This year, Vogt celebrates 50 years of specializing in objects of value that reflect and celebrate the unique life-style, people and stories of the region in fine and folk art, artifacts, ceramics, jewelry, firearms, bladed objects and furnishings. Vogt has been a leader in the growing Texas and Western art auction market and annually hosts a spring and fall Texas & Western Art auction. Sales have featured artwork by Julian Onderdonk, Robert Onderdonk, Jose Arpa, Porfirio…

401 N. 27th Street, Billings, MT 59101 • www.artmuseum.org The Yellowstone Art Museum, Montana’s premier contemporary art museum, welcomes 2025 with excitement for the year ahead. Beginning February 7, the museum will host its 57th annual Yellowstone Art Auction. This signature event provides a wonderful occasion to spotlight celebrated regional artwork, introduce emerging artists and inspire collectors. This year, the YAM will feature artwork from Tracy Linder, Judd Thompson, Robert DeWeese, John Buck and Maggy Rozycki Hiltner. A live auction and gala on Saturday, March 8, caps off the event festivities. Preview the artwork included in the silent and live auction online and in-person starting on February 7. For more information on the available artworks, event tickets or absentee bidding, visit www.artmuseum.org. Upcoming auctions: Yellowstone Art Auction February 7, 2025…

The Southwest finds new life in the contemporary paintings of Santa Fe artist William Haskell. Situated in the high desert terrain of the City Different, Haskell’s scenes capture the area’s unique geology, plant life and architecture in a distinctive, almost geometric style. “My work has always been an homage to the Southwest’s rugged landscapes and dramatic skies. I love portraying the vastness and solitude of the land with great energy and big colors,” says the artist. A new show called Shifting Vistas: The Art of William Haskell opens at Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, Arizona, from January 10 to February 1. An opening reception will be held the first day from 5 to 7 p.m. in the main gallery. “Mark Sublette, a big champion of my work, understands…

For his forthcoming solo show at Altamira Fine Art gallery in Scottdale, Arizona, David Frederick Riley aims to have the spirit of his paintings reach out to the viewer and interact. The show, titled Supranatural, features 10 new wildlife paintings that combine realistic, portrait-based scenes with abstracted backgrounds. “All of the paintings [in the show] are of animals local to me that I have seen in person,” Riley explains of his process. “When I paint animals, I try to paint them with the character of the animal, but individual enough to capture a mood or emotion…I wanted to represent the animals in a very realistic manner, however I also wanted to push the interaction between the viewer and the subject of the painting.” Riley adds that working with portraits allows…

In Ramon F. Adams’ book Western Words, the author includes the phrase “shadow riders,” which referred to a cowboy who would frequently look down at his shadow to marvel at his getup. “When a cowboy really liked how he looked, he would watch his shadow,” says artist Gina Teichert, who adds that even Charlie Russell titled several works The Shadow Rider, all showing single riders decked out in their cowboy gear. “Hearing that phrase really made me think about Western tack, clothing and all this great material that exists in the West.” Teichert turned the concept—authentic Western wear, gear and accessories—into the exhibition Shadow Riders for the Cowboy Arts & Gear Museum in Elko, Nevada. The origin of the show goes back more than a year, when the rising California…

It may be hard to see amid the glitz and glamor, but Las Vegas is very much a Western town with a classic Western story. Springing from the dust of the Mojave Desert, the city has long clung to its Western roots, with its cowboy-themed slot machines and casinos, and even its famous neon cowgirl sign. Playing into Vegas’ decadent cowboy culture will be Brian Lebel’s Old West Show & Auction, which returns to Nevada on January 24 and 25 at the Westgate Resort & Casino. It will be the show’s second annual event in Las Vegas after moving from Mesa, Arizona. The move allowed for some quality-of-life changes, including more nightlife, more restaurants and, if it’s your thing, margaritas in elaborate cups with silly cups. More than that, though,…

1 HUGE TURNOUT AND SALES FOR MAXWELL ALEXANDER RE-OPENING After several false starts due to complex construction issues, Maxwell Alexander Gallery re-opened to the public in November 2024 in its new space in Pasadena, California. Gallery owners Beau Alexander and Logan Maxwell Hagege celebrated with a three-day bash that included a sit-down dinner, brunch at a historic home, a private tour of the Norton Simon Museum, a reception, sale and live demonstrations from Thomas Blackshear II, Joshua LaRock and Daniel Bilmes. By the end of the weekend, the gallery had sold 44 works totaling more than $1 million. One of the sold pieces was the Glenn Dean painting that was our January 2024 cover, back when the gallery’s original opening was announced. Congratulations to the gallery, which already has a strong…

210 W. Market Street, San Antonio, TX 78205 • (210) 299-4499 info@briscoemuseum.org • www.briscoemuseum.org The Briscoe Western Art Museum, nestled along San Antonio’s enchanting River Walk, celebrates Western art and culture through a full array of exhibitions, engagement and educational programs. As one of the premier Western art events in the world, the Briscoe’s Night of Artists Exhibition and Sale features more than 280 new works of painting, sculpture and mixed media by more than 80 of today’s leading contemporary Western artists, including Don Oelze, Mark Kohler and Jeremy Winborg. This signature event serves as the primary fundraiser for the museum, ensuring the continued support of the Briscoe’s mission year-round. Upcoming auctions: 2024 Night of Artists March 28-29, 2025: Opening Weekend March 30-May 11, 2025: Public Exhibition & Sale San…

8333 Douglas Avenue, Suite 360, Dallas, TX 75225 • (469) 608-7600 info@lonestarartauction.com • www.lonestarartauction.com The Lone Star Art Auction is the largest art auction in Texas specializing in the best American, Western and Texas fine art of the 19th to 21st centuries. Presented by Great American West and Phil Berkebile Jr., the Lone Star Art Auction brings buyers, collectors and sellers of historic and contemporary fine art together in Dallas each fall for a highly entertaining two-day event. In its first three sales over a 24-month period, the Lone Star Art Auction has generated a combined $13.9 million in total sales with an average sell-through rate of 93 percent, making it one of the fastest-growing and most successful auctions of its kind in the country. The fourth Lone Star Art…

145 E. Walnut Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016 • (626) 793-1833 • www.johnmoran.com Since 1969, John Moran Auctioneers has been uniting buyers and sellers of decorative and fine art, jewelry, fine furnishings and more. Moran’s quarterly California & American Fine Art auctions showcase works by artists like Guy Rose, Edgar Payne, Frank Tenney Johnson, Joseph Henry Sharp, Eanger Irving Couse, Oscar E. Berninghaus, Cyrus Dallin, Edward Borein, Olaf Weighorst, Armin Hansen, Maynard Dixon, Thomas Hill, Sydney Laurence, Oscar Howe, Bill Anton and many others. From humble beginnings 50 years ago, John Moran Auctioneers has evolved into a trusted, full-service auction house with international reach. The auction house’s team of experienced specialists provides collectors or their clients with the highest level of service. They offer a customizable boutique approach, whether you are…

932 Railfan Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505 • info@santafeartauction.com www.santafeartauction.com Santa Fe Art Auction has long been the preeminent auction house in the Southwest, serving thousands of registered bidders worldwide. As a leader in classic Southwestern, Western and Native American art, the auction house has evolved into a state-of-the-art operation based in an ultra-modern 16,000-square-foot facility in the heart of Santa Fe’s burgeoning Baca Railyard Arts District. Santa Fe Art Auction has routinely set record hammer prices for prominent classic and contemporary artists including Tony Abeyta, Gerard Curtis Delano, Charles Loloma, Gustave Baumann and Edward S. Curtis. The application of cutting-edge technology and expansion of in-house expertise have allowed Santa Fe Art Auction to service collections of increasing size and importance: Patsy and William Hutchison, Gregory Warren Nelson, Patricia Janis…

403 N. Florence Street, Casa Grande, AZ 85122 • 935 N. Tegner, Wickenburg, AZ 85390 (520) 426-7702 • www.westerntradingpost.com Western Trading Post, one of the fastest growing Western-themed auction companies, is a family-owned and operated auction and gallery that continually explores new territory with cutting-edge methods such as the “Buy It Now” option, cross-platform marketing, a customer money-back guarantee, and a 14-day seller payment program. In 2024, they presented 5,747 lots, achieving an impressive 99.9 percent sell-through rate. Hosting approximately 20 auctions annually, they provide buyers consistent access to quality Western collectibles, and sellers don’t have to wait long to get their items sold. To accomodate rapid growth, Western Trading Post will expand with a new location in Wickenburg, Arizona, in 2025. Western Trading Post’s motto, “We are passionate about…

Andrew Roda recently moved from Los Angeles to a neighboring city in Southern California. In addition to all of the personal stuff that makes up a person’s life, he also had to move his studio and his growing collection of potted cactus. How do you move cactus? Very carefully. “When an artist moves, it can get increasingly difficult. I had 20 potted cactuses, including a 200-pound pot from an upstairs patio. And my art studio. You start to run on fumes,” he says, adding that his object-filled paintings often create lots of objects in his studio, which added to the madness of moving. “I had seven elk skulls in various sizes that were packed and moved. So many things.” Roda, who has a new show at King Galleries opening January…

Inspired by his love of nature, Johnson’s turn to Western subject matter, such as landscapes and wild-life, was a natural fit. “Paint what you love and the success will come,” he told himself. “I mainly work in oils on linen and mixed media on handmade paper,” he says. “After the Harvest is a painting that was selected for the 2022-2023 Conservation Print of the Year by the Quail Forever habitat organization. Besides painting 13 birds, the antique hay raker was a challenge as well. What makes the image dramatic is the dawn glow throughout. The Big Bull is one of my unique mixed-media paintings on handmade mulberry paper. I came up with this technique about 25 years ago.” The artist continues, “I photographed this moose in the Tetons in the…

On January 23, Christie’s will offer around 100 American artworks to bidders during a winter sale in New York City. Titled American Paintings, the auction will feature works from a number of consignors, as well as two private collections that have been identified by Christie’s as Grand Views of America: Property from a Distinguished Private Collection and Property from an Important Northeastern Collection. While both collections contain gems, Grand Views of America will surely thrill Western art collectors. “Some of the strongest examples of this sale are in the area of Western art, including our leading Western lot, which is a painting of the Grand Canyon by Thomas Moran,” says Quincie Dixon, an associate specialist at Christie’s and head of sale for the January auction. “Grand Views is primarily oils…