Center for the Arts, Jackson, WY
September 16
On Saturday, September 16, the 17th annual Jackson Hole Art Auction will take place. The auction house is one of the leaders in classic and contemporary masterworks of the American West, North American and African wildlife art, Native American art, landscapes, still lifes and and figurative works. This year’s sale offers a wide range of outstanding lots from all categories.
Carl Rungius (1869-1959), Caribou, oil on canvas, 47 x 50. Estimate: $500,000-$700,000.
Among many notable wildlife pieces in the auction, Carl Rungius’ CARIBOU (est. $500,000-$700,000) is a standout. Descended through a single East Coast family since 1930, this painting has never been on the market or on exhibition. Painted when Rungius was at his peak, CARIBOU combines his gift for animal portraiture with his skill at situating animals in their natural habitats. The artist’s mature style—an impressionistic realism—is on full display in the work. Animals in shadow and light, drifted snow and barren rock, racing clouds and pale blue sky—the painting is a study in the beauty of the contrasts in the natural world.
Bob Kuhn (1920-2007), Rocky Mountain High, acrylic on board, 18 x 19. Estimate: $90,000-$120,000.
Another highlight is a group of outstanding paintings by modern animalier Bob Kuhn, one of Rungius’ successors. STAIRWAY TO THE STARS (est. $100,000-$150,000) and ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH (est. $90,000-$120,000) feature bighorn sheep on the mountain slopes and in an alpine meadow, while a powerful bull elk in dramatic sun and shadow forms the subject of SPOILIN’ FOR A FIGHT (est. $50,000-$75,000).
Frederic Remington (1861-1909), Feeding the Dogs (Hunting Musk Ox: Feeding Sledge Dogs in the Barren Grounds), oil en grisaille on canvas, 22 x 20. Estimate: $80,000-$120,000
In the historic Western category, Frederic Remington’s oil en grisaille FEEDING THE DOGS (HUNTING MUSK OX: FEEDING SLEDGE DOGS IN THE BARREN GROUNDS), an illustration dated 1895-6, first appeared in the April 1896 issue of Harper’s Monthly. This painting, estimated at $80,000 to $120,000, was part of a series commissioned to accompany a story by Caspar Whitney about his adventures in Northern Canada. The painting captures the lowering sky of the barren tundra and has all the kinetic energy and the journalistic quality that made Remington one of the era’s most sought-after illustrators.
Howard Terpning, Blackfeet Regalia, oil on canvas, 28 x 22. Estimate: $100,000-$200,000
Golden Age illustrator and painter John Clymer’s LAST OF THE BUFFALO (est. $175,000-$275,000) drops the viewer into the scene as witness to what were to be the last of the great buffalo hunts. Two magnificent works of Native portraiture by contemporary master Howard Terpning—the fresh to the market work STATUS SYMBOLS (est. $200,000-$500,000) and BLACKFEET REGALIA (est. $100,000-200,000)—show the strength of both the subjects and the artist’s skill at depicting them.
Howard Terpning, Status Symbol, oil on canvas, 34 x 26. Estimate: $200,000-$300,000
In the genres of still life, landscape and portraiture, Jackson Hole Art Auction will feature works by Richard Schmid, Daniel Gerhartz and Morgan Weistling, among others, while a number of artists have created new works expressly for the sale.
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- Carl Branders, Lookout Tower – Timberwolves, mixed media on board, 42.25 x 31.75. Estimate: $60,000-$90,000.
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- Bob Kuhn (1920-2007), Stalking Cougar, acrylic on board, 16 x 12. Estimate. $30,000-$50,000
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- Bob Kuhn (1920-2007), Spoilin’ for a Fight, acrylic on board, 15 x 19. Estimate: $50,000-$75,000
The auction will be conducted live at the Center for the Arts in downtown Jackson, Wyoming. Clients may also bid online. All works will be available for preview, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the auction showroom at 130 East Broadway. —James D. Balestrieri
jacksonholeartauction.com
This story appeared in the August/September 2023 issue of Southwest Art magazine.