Lon Megargee’s signed and dated painting “The Last Drop From His Stetson” earned its description of “what may be the most famous cowboy painting of all time” with a final price of $105,300.
Review by Z.G. Burnett; Images Courtesy of Scottsdale Art Auction
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — Scottsdale Art Auction conducted its first annual online auction on August 26, offering 375 lots of fine and decorative art that primarily focused on every subject pertaining to the American West. Paintings of cowboys, Native Americans and landscapes were the predominant medium in the upper lots, with one exceptional bronze. “We were very pleased, and we averaged the high estimate,” said Brad Richardson, partner at Scottsdale Art Auction. “There were some home runs, and some buyers got great deals.” Almost 500 bidders participated online, including seven international customers, who were a combination of collectors and dealers. All of the following lots will be staying in the United States, which is unusual for Scottsdale. The auction totaled $1.3 million with 95 percent of lots sold.
“The Last Drop From His Stetson” by Lon Megargee (American, 1883-1960) was first in the auction’s pricing list by far, setting a new record for the artist at $105,300. This image of “a kindly cowboy kneeling to give his horse a drink of water from his upturned hat” celebrated its centennial in 2022. The Stetson hat brand referred to “The Last Drop” as “a hallmark of cowboy culture,” and this oil example, while one of several versions Megargee painted, matches that which was used for the Stetson advertisements and hat lining. It was painted for a studio in Hollywood, Calif., and consigned from a New York collection.
Megargee was a legendary figure himself, leaving his home city of Philadelphia at age 13 to pursue the ranching life in Arizona, where painting eventually became his main income source. Called “Arizona’s first cowboy artist” in True West Magazine, Megargee painted 18 murals for the Arizona State Capitol, designed advertisements and exhibited his art in New York City Galleries.
Estimated at only $10/15,000, bidding for this small-scale painting “Everlast Sundown” by Mark Maggiori rose to $93,600 and placed second in the auction.
Riding close behind was “Everlast Sundown” by contemporary French American artist Mark Maggiori (b 1977), which was bid to $93,600. Maggiori is known for his monumental paintings of Western figures against enormous, open skies that elevate his subjects to almost mythic proportions. This painting was relatively small in scale, measuring only 9 by 12 inches. It was signed and had a short provenance, coming from the artist and then consigned to the auction from a private collector in Kentucky.
With six pieces included in the auction, American traditionalist G. Harvey (1933-2017) was one of the most popular artists among the top bidders. His “Ranchers Reward” from a Texas collection, signed and dated, was third in the auction at $76,050. Next in price, “The All-American Horse,” showed a shift in Harvey’s subject matter with a mounted conquistador and a galleon in the background. Originally created for an exhibition at the Smithsonian of the same title (December 1991 to September 1992), the painting was signed and inscribed on verso in 2000, and sold for $15,210. Following this in price, Harvey’s “County Place” showed the cactus-lined entrance of a bucolic ranch and was bid to $11,115. “We always do well with Harvey,” Richardson commented; he represented the artist for the last 15 years of his life, and Scottsdale is known for auctioning Harvey’s work.
Olaf Wieghorst’s expertise earned in a career with horses is evident in the realistic movement displayed in “Bustin’ Out,” which more than doubled its high estimate to $64,350 ($20/30,000).
Another artist who had multiple works in the auction was Olaf Wieghorst (Danish/American, 1899-1988). Supported by four sketches in different mediums, the only oil on canvas was a dynamic scene aptly titled “Bustin’ Out” that sold for $64,350. The painting was signed in the lower left recto and signed and inscribed “painted near Las Vegas, Nevada May 1946” verso. Before retiring in El Cajon, Calif., to focus on his art full time, Wieghorst had a full career as a mounted circus performer in Denmark, emigrated and served a patrolman in the US 7th Cavalry Regiment, then became a mounted officer and horse trainer with the New York City Police Department (1924-44). Wieghorst was self-taught and sketched as a hobby throughout these positions, gaining gallery recognition as he expanded into oil painting. He even had film credits in two John Wayne Westerns, including El Dorado (1966), in which his art was used in the opening titles sequence.
Two paintings by abstract expressionist artist Fritz Scholder (La Jolla/Luiseno, 1937-2005) were consigned to the auction from his family. With surrealist, postmodern and Pop Art influences, Scholder came to redefine Native American art in the Twentieth Century despite never referring to himself as an “Indian artist.” His acrylic on canvas “In The Forest” shows two mounted figures, one in a war bonnet of the Plains Indians, against a deep green background and was bid to $58,500. More conceptual was “Family,” an oil on board displaying a grouping of kachina-esque geometric figures on a painterly gray field, which sold for $19,890.
“Pueblo Cowboy” by Logan Maxwell Hagege, displaying an intersection between two coexisting cultures, achieved $49,725 ($30/45,000).
Logan Maxwell Hagege (American, b 1980) also doubled down in the auction with two self-defined “stylized realism” paintings. The cameo-like “Pueblo Cowboy” was first in price for the artist at $49,725 and was signed, titled and dated verso. Next was “Mid-day Clouds,” an example of Hagege’s signature detail of painting his clouds to echo the shape of his human subjects, which was bid to $12,870. Both came from private collections in California.
Other single works representing Native Americans, both by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Western artists, did well in the auction. “Out of the Needles They Swarmed” by Frank McCarthy (1924-2002) achieved $32,175. McCarthy was a commercial artist before pursuing fine art full time, contributing illustrations to book publishers, magazines, advertisements and movie posters. The highest selling bronze, “The Battle Of Two Hearts” was one of four painted sculptures by Dave McGary (1058-2013) in the auction that was bid to $18,720. “Arapaho” by John Nieto (1936-2018), who was of Mescalero Apache, Hispanic and European descent, was the most colorful oil on canvas of this group and sold for $11,115. These lots came from private collections in Vermont, Montana and Pennsylvania.
Prices quoted with buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. Scottsdale Art Auction is now accepting consignments for its Annual Live Auction on April 12-13. For information, 480-945-0225 or www.scottsdaleartauction.com.
