“Appeal to the Great Spirit” by Cyrus Edwin Dallin (American, 1861-1944), 1913, 22¼ inches tall by 22 inches long by 13¾ inches wide, rose far beyond its $1/2,000 estimate to lead the auction at $48,000.

Review by Carly Timpson

JACKSON, WYO. — With back-to-back auction days, Jackson Hole Art Auction (JHAA) conducted two successful auctions February 11 and 12. Between the Attainable Art for the Emerging Collector auction and the annual Winter Online Auction, 91 percent of the 435 lots were sold, realizing more than $1.2 million in total sales.

Attainable Art For The Emerging Collector

The 216 lots offered in the February 11 session featured something for everyone, including first-time bidders or knowledgeable collectors. The selection spanned paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, photography and decorative arts. In total, the Attainable Art auction realized $206,000 on a sell-through rate of 90 percent and saw activity from 1,743 registered bidders.

Earning the auction’s top price was a 1987 “Impala” bronze by Sherry Sander. This 16⅝-inch-tall sculpture showed a trio of running impalas and was numbered “23/35” and inscribed “J. Sander 87 ©.” From the collection of Tim Brewer, the sculpture was mounted on a marble and wood base and it bounded to $8,125, rising more than four times its high estimate.

Wildlife art was hot, with many of the offered lots soaring beyond their estimates. David Langmead’s “Leopard on the Savanna,” showing a solitary cat in a dusky savanna landscape, departed from a private collection to achieve $7,500, tripling its high estimate. Another oil on canvas by the contemporary Zimbabwean artist was “Lion,” a 25-by-20¾-inch portrait of the King of the Jungle. The regal portrait commanded a $3,300 result.

Bidders chased “Leopard on the Savanna” by David Langmead (Zimbabwean, b 1965), oil on canvas, 24¾ by 31¾ inches framed, to $7,500 ($1,5/2,500).

Animals in colder climates were seen with David Charles Wade’s “Nomad,” Dustin Van Wechel’s “Nomads Study” and Gary Swanson’s “You’ve Got Our Attention.” Wade’s “Nomad,” which came from a local Jackson collection, depicted a single brown or grizzly bear and brought $3,600 — an impressive improvement on its $700 high estimate. “Nomads Study,” an oil on panel painting of Dall sheep on a snowy, rocky mountainside, also climbed to $3,600. Swanson’s “You’ve Got Our Attention” showed two wolves in the snow, looking back in the direction of the viewer, and brought $3,300.

A portrait of “Mother and Child” by Chinese-American artist Mian Situ found a buyer for $7,200. The work was signed to the lower left and was titled on the reverse. Also on its reverse was a label from Coeur d’Alene’s 2025 March in Montana auction, where it sold as lot 36. In that sale, it finished below estimate; this time around, it rose nearly three times its high estimate.

Bidders’ maternal instincts were strong, as Gary Niblett’s “Mother’s Love” also found a new home. Signed and marked with the artist’s cipher to the lower left, the painting depicted a mare grooming her nursing foal. With provenance to a collection in The Woodlands, Texas, a previous JHAA auction and a private collection, the work was carried to $3,000, more than doubling its high estimate.

Mian Situ (Chinese-American, b 1953 painted this 30-by-34-inch framed “Mother and Child” scene in oil on canvas. It brought $7,200 ($1,5/2,500).

Winter 2026 Online Auction

The Winter 2026 lineup featured 219 lots of “fresh-to-market artworks from important private collections, including fine examples of cowboy, sporting, wildlife and Native American art and sculpture. The range reflects JHAA’s reputation as one of the country’s leading venues for Western art,” shared JHAA managing director and partner, Kevin Doyle. The February 12 session had 2,664 registered bidders, achieved a sell-through rate of 91 percent and realized $1.02 million.

Cyrus Edwin Dallin’s “Appeal to the Great Spirit” rose nearly 25 times past its high estimate to become the sale’s highest-earning lot. The 1913 bronze stood 22¼ inches tall on its marble base and had respectable provenance, likely contributing to its success, including the Valley Ranch, the Jackson, Wyo., property of Laurance S. Rockefeller and Senator John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV. Inscribed “© C. E. Dallin 1913 #92 Gorham Co Founders,” the Native American sculpture appealed to bidders, bringing a $48,000 final result.

Another bronze to achieve a strong result was Ed Mell’s “Procession,” which more than doubled its high estimate to achieve $15,000. The sculpture, edition 22 of 30, was inscribed with the artist’s copyright. Depicting three figures on a marble base, “Procession” came from the collection of Al & Carol-Ann Olson. The three figures shown in this sculpture — petitioning the Katsina spirits with a ceremonial dance to bring summer rain — are similar to those shown in the artist’s 1987 painting similarly titled “In Procession,” inspired by Mell’s time on the Hopi Reservation.

“Another Shot” by John Hauser (American, 1859-1913), 1906, gouache on paper, 13½ by 9½ inches, went out at $33,000 ($15/25,000).

Works with Indigenous subjects were a strong collecting interest, as several other lots in the category brought above-estimate prices. Finishing for $33,000 on a high estimate of $25,000 was “Another Shot” by John Hauser. The 1906 gouache on paper, which showed two natives on horseback, was signed and dated to the lower right and was included in Edward Paxton Harris and Jerry Glenn’s Straight White Shield: A Life and Works of John Hauser (1859-1913) (Bellevue, Ky., MicroPress, Inc, 2012).

The vibrant, action-packed acrylic and oil on canvas “Warrior on a Galloping Horse” by Malcolm Furlow brought $21,600. Another high-chroma painting, this one a “Crow Warrior” portrait, found a buyer for $15,600. Painted in acrylic on canvas by John Nieto in 1993, the portrait was titled, signed and dated on its reverse.

Another strong category, as expected with JHAA, was Western art. Contemporary artist Bill Anton, who lives and works in Prescott, Ariz., was well represented in the auction, achieving the second-highest price overall. Anton’s “Where the Old Ways Are the Best Ways,” depicting a cowboy scene, came from the collection of Robert and Betsy Beck and rose 72 percent past its high estimate to earn $33,000. From the same collection came “Fresh Snow” ($27,000) and “Summer Silhouette” ($13,200).

When John Bye’s (British, b 1970) “Winter in the West,” oil on canvas, 38⅛ by 48⅛ inches framed, sold for $24,000, it set a new auction record for the artist ($8/12,000).

Doubling its high estimate to bring a new world auction record for the artist was John Bye’s “Winter in the West,” which finished at $24,000. The work, showing two horses, one with a rider, walking along a snowy riverside, had provenance to the artist and was signed “Jbye” to the lower right.

Painted for the cover of True Magazine, Tom Lovell’s “Tying Flies” closed at $19,200, more than doubling its high estimate. The nostalgic illustration had provenance to the collection of Carl J. Pugliese, who purchased it from the artist in 1977; Bruneau & Company Auctioneers (Cranston, R.I.); and the collection of Bruce DeFoor.

Doyle noted, “The number of registrants and bids for these auctions reflects how strong the Western art market continues to be. We had a high number of first-time buyers in these auctions, which is great to see. As long as we have quality art to offer, the bidders’ demand will be there.”

Jackson Hole Art Auction will conduct its Annual Spring Fine Art Auction on May 15.

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.jacksonholeartauction.com or 307-734-9739.