Head West with Coeur d’Alene Art Auction

A painting by legendary artist Charles M. Russell, with an estimate of $1M, headlines the 31st annual Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, set to take place July 23 with exclusive online auction on Bidsquare. The sale of The Tenderfoot, fresh to market after spending the past 100 years in a single-family collection, should see spirited bidding at a sale that continues to be the high point of the Western auction calendar.

The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has a well-earned reputation for selling the highest quality Western paintings and sculptures. Hailed as "The Biggest and Most Successful Auction of Western Art" by The Wall Street Journal and named "One of the Top Auction Houses Worldwide" by Blouin Art+Auction, the Coeur dAlene has netted over $230,000,000 in sales over the past ten years from its perch as a clear industry leader.

Lot 113 - The Tenderfoot by Charles M. Russell

Selling as Lot 113, The Tenderfoot is just one of a handful of prized works by Russell set to go under the hammer at the Coeur d’Alene sale. Others include Lot 181, The Spirit of Winter (one of Russell’s rarest bronzes), Lot 81, When Sioux and Blackfoot Meet, Lot 67, Pablo Buffalo Drive and Lot 196, A Bronc Twister.

Lot 123 - Renegade Apaches by Frank Tenny Johnson

A fine selection of works by Frank Tenney Johnson will be featured this year, highlighted by the sale of Lot 123, Renegade Apaches. Widely considered one of the artists best, this wonderful painting featured on the cover of Frank Tenney Johnson & the American West, and in 1926 in the prestigious National Academy of Design. Other offerings by Johnson on offer include Cowboy and Land Beyond the Law. 

Lot 138 (left) - Sundown by Walter Ufer, and Lot 105 (right), the Great Mystery - Moonlight by Joseph H. Sharp

Taos artists will be well represented in 2016, with major works by Walter Ufer, Eanger Irving Couse, Joseph H. Sharp, Victor Higgins and Leon Gaspard. Ufer’s Sundown, selling as Lot 138, is a hugely significant work fresh from a private collection, and was originally owned by Carter Henry Harrison Jr., former mayor of Chicago.

Lot 54 - Rams on the Alert by Carl Rungus

Carl Rungius has always been a mainstay of the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction with a long string of record breaking sales. This year a major one-owner collection includes Lot 54, Rams on the Alert, and Lot 119, Happy Valley Rams. A very scarce set of 41 Rungius etchings (Lot 55) will also be sold.

Lot 50 - Blackfeet Storyteller by Howard Terpning 

Contemporary Western masters are always well represented at Coeur dAlene, and this year, like most others, these offerings are lead by a major work from Howard Terpning. Lot 50, Terpnings Blackfeet Storyteller is expected to bring $500,000-750,000 and is sure to be one of the real sale stars.

The 2016 Coeur d’alene Art Auction is set down for July 23 and contains over 300 of high quality Western paintings and sculpture from historical and contemporary artists. Log into Bidsquare and start bidding now.