2013 Coeur d'Alene Art Auction Results

2013 CdA Art Auction Crowd, Peppermill Casino

The 2013 Coeur d'Alene Art Auction was a wild success, as they cruised to a grand total of $30,500,000! It's their second highest total ever, and only 12 lots passed at the auction and half of those have already sold post-auction.  While the expectations were high, the energy of the sale kept up with people's expectations.  There was a full house in attendance and they actually had to bring out a lot more chairs.  There was no denying the quality of works in the sale from the top all the way to the bottom.  If you were looking to find a bargain at the sale, you might have had better luck on the craps table of the newly renovated Peppermill Casino.  Bidding was fierce, and the phone lines were booked the entire auction.  Troy Black and his staff did another terrific job, as they "hawed" their way to a sum of $30, 500,000.  Click HERE to view all the results.

All the major paintings sold, and sold well.  Frederic Remington's Cutting Out Pony Herds sold for $5,600,000, and Norman Rockwell's A Scout is Loyal sold for $4,280,000.  Howard Terpning's Telling of Legends sold for $1,705,000 and Shield of Her Husband sold for $1,033,000.  The Charles Russell market continues to be very strong, as works by the Cowboy Artist achieved 5 out of the top 10 prices in the sale.  Here's a list of the top 10 selling lots:

Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, July 27, 2013 (with buyer’s premium)

Artist                    Title                                             Low/High Est.     SOLD 

Frederic Remington    Cutting Out Pony Herds(A Stampede)    $5/7,000,000      $5,625,000

Norman Rockwell        A Scout is Loyal                                          $4/6,000,000       $4,281,000

Howard Terpning         Telling of Legends                                        $600/900,000      $1,705,000

Howard Terpning         Shield of Her Husband                                 $300/500,000      $1,033,000

Charles M. Russell       Buffalo Hunt #27                                         $600/900,000      $1,005,000

Charles M. Russell       Cowboys on the Plains                                $400/600,000      $697,000

Charles M. Russell       Indian Party                                                $500/700,000      $641,000

Thomas Moran            The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone      $250/350,000      $555,750

Charles M. Russell       The Bucker and the Buckaroo                     $200/300,000      $438,750

Charles M. Russell       A Pitcher                                                    $150/250,000      $438,750

Western Art Publications

A few other highlights of the sale included Henry Balink's Chief Trout, Pueblo Indian which sold for $93,600 with a pre-sale estimate of $40,000-$60,000.  It was a gorgeous painting.  Z.S. Liang's The Charge of Crazy Horse on Fort Laramie 1864 shined with a $187,200 sales price and a $60,000-$90,000 estimate.  Belmore Browne's Fair Holme Range, Bow River sold for $14,040 with a pre-sale estimate of $4,000-$6,000.  I'm glad to see that because I've mentioned in the past, that Belmore and especially George Browne's work are under valued.  I've always thought Philip Goodwin's market was extremely under valued, but that may be changing as there's been a sharp rise in his action records and that continued with The Call of the Wild selling for $140,400 with an original estimate of $80,000-$120,000.  Even with all the Maynard Dixon works in the sale, they all performed very well and the demand for Dixon's work continues to go up.  John Fery's Jackson Lake Majesty, Wyoming sold for $17,550 with an original estimate of $6,000-$9,000.  Congratulations to William Acheff for winning the Collector's Choice Award for his painting: Big Bear Stories.

Here are just a few things I took away from the weekend:

• The market for quality Taos Founder works is really beginning to rebound, and collectors are really developing an eye for quality works rather than just acquiring anything with a Taos founder name on it.
• The Montana artists like O.C. Seltzer, Edgar Paxson and John Fery all performed very well, and the demand for C.M. Russell's work speaks for itself.
• There's a strong market for quality works by contemporary artists who are conscious of their overall output.  Artists like Andy Thomas, Robert Griffing, Z.S. Liang, Martin Grelle, and Ken Carlson have consistently performed well and I attribute that to the limited supply of their works.
• I noticed a lot of "new" buyers.  I love seeing the familiar faces, because the people you meet and friendships you develop are what makes collecting art so much fun, but it's also great for the genre to see interest from new collectors.
• As hard as it can be, you have to walk away from the craps table while you're up because eventually the dice are going to turn on you.

And just like that, it's on to 2014.  If you haven't looked yet, check out the online catalog of the Jackson Hole Art Auction coming up in September.  I'll be attending the auction in Jackson, so I hope to see you there!