The fifth annual Jackson Hole Art Auction was conducted on September 17 at the Center for the Arts, hosted by Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Gallery. More than 88 percent of the featured 250 lots sold, realizing more than $9 million in sales. As the auction got under way at 12:30 pm, more than 300 people filled the seats of the auditorium, with some 400 registered bidders. Bidding was very active with close to 300 phone bids and absentee bids. Internet bidders also participated in much of the sale. In just its fifth year, the Jackson Hole Art Auction has clearly distinguished itself as a destination event, with consignors and collectors from all across the country and abroad, including Russia, Ireland, England and Switzerland.
The live audience broke into enthusiastic applause when Frederic Remington’s painting “He Lay Where He Had Been Jerked, Still as a Log,” a 24¼-by-36¼-inch oil on canvas, sold for $1,583,000. Other highlights included Bob Kuhn’s “Study of a Cougar,” a 16-by-12-inch acrylic on Masonite, which realized $90,000; Charlie Dye’s “Texas Brush Popper,” a 20-by-24-inch oil on board, which brought $74,750; Frederick Remington’s iconic bronze “Bronco Buster #16,” selling at $488,750; and John Clymer’s “Marie Dorian †Winter Refuge, 1814,” a 40-by-30-inch oil on board, which achieved $391,000.
Once again, the Jackson Hole Art Auction succeeded in breaking artists’ auction records. Clark Hulings’ “Grand Canyon,” a 31-by-47 oil on canvas, sold for $345,000, a new record for a Hulings sold at auction. The previous record was set at the Jackson Hole Art Auction in 2008. Richard Schmid’s painting “The Last Lilies,” a 14-by-19-inch oil on board, sold for $69,000, a record breaking sale for a Schmid painting of this size.
The 33 lots from the Emily Oliver estate, 4LazyF Ranch in Jackson Hole, saw active bidding and realized strong prices. Highlights from the collection include Charles Russell’s drawing “Riders on the Mountain Trail,” 10½ by 9½ inches, pen and ink on paper, $43,125; and Olaf Seltzer’s “Charles Russell with Horse,” 12¾ by 8¾ inches, watercolor on paper, $74,750.
Contemporary artists’ work also brought very active and strong bidding. Morgan Weistling’s painting “Alice” brought $86,250, and Ken Riley’s “Feathers and Paint” took $25,875. Mian Situ’s painting “Toy Peddler of Dupont Street” brought $230,000, and Bonnie Marris’s painting “Vantage Point” realized $37,375.
Prices reported include the buyer’s premium. For information, 866-549-9278 or www.jacksonholeartauction.com .
