JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Big numbers ruled the day last weekend at the 12th annual Jackson Hole Art Auction held September 14-15, hosted by Trailside Galleries and the Gerald Peters Gallery.
The two-day art sale pulled in more than $8.4 million in sales from 88% of 392 lots on the block that sold.
Norman Rockwell’s iconic portrait of John Wayne stole the show, reaching its high estimate at $1,496,000 after enthusiastic bidding in the room, on the phone, and via absentee.
In all, 15 new artist world records were established, including Spirit Welcome by Jerry Jordan, which realized a world record price of $55,750. Both sessions featured very active bidding across a variety of genres, excellent floor attendance, and robust remote bidding.
The cover lot, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait’s A Slight Chance brought $456,300. Additional top sales included John Clymer’s Territorial Dispute and Thomas Moran’s Laguna, New Mexico Looking from the East, both of which sold well above their high estimates at $339,300 amid intense bidding.
Bob Kuhn’s works soared above the high estimates, with Basic Training bringing $175,500, and His Elegance selling at $76,050. Other exceptional wildlife results included Tucker Smith’s Ahead of the Storm at $93,600 and David Shepherd’s Leopards at the Waterhole selling for double its high estimate at $61,425.
American illustrators shone at this year’s Jackson Hole Art Auction, with N.C. Wyeth’s Untitled (Portrait of a Cowboy) bringing $99,450, and Dean Cornwell’s Illustration for the Enchanted Hill surpassing estimates at an impressive $128,700. W.H.D. Koerner’s Their Meeting Ground also sold above the high estimate, bringing $46,800. Muralist Thomas Hart Benton’s Study for the Pathfinder achieved a remarkable $239,850.
Other noteworthy western highlights included Frank Tenney Johnson’s Branding a Maverick ($152,100), Albert Bierstadt’s Source of the Snake River ($234,000), and Oscar Berninghaus’ Taos Field of Workers ($321,750).
How the top lots went
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
John Wayne
oil on canvas
38 x 31
Estimate: $1,000,000-$1,500,000
Sold: $1,496,000
Jerry Jordan (1944–Present)
Spirit Welcome
oil on canvas
42 x 46 in
Estimate: $10,000–$15,000
Sold: $55,750 *World Record
Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (1819-1905)
A Slight Chance, 1883
oil on canvas
20 x 30
Estimate: $400,000-$600,000
Sold: $456,300
John Clymer (1907-1989)
Territorial Dispute
oil on board
24 x 40
Estimate: $150,000-$250,000
Sold: $339,300
Thomas Moran (1837-1926)
Laguna, New Mexico Looking from the East, 1892
watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper
9 3/8 x 12 3/8 (sight)
Estimate: $75,000-$125,000
Sold: $339,300
Bob Kuhn (1920-2007)
Basic Training, 1980
acrylic on masonite
16 x 35 1/2
Estimate: $90,000-$120,000
Sold: $175,500
Bob Kuhn (1920–2007)
His Elegance
acrylic on masonite
13 1/8 x 23 3/4 in
Estimate: $35,000–$55,000
Sold: $76,050
Tucker Smith (1940–Present)
Ahead of the Storm
oil on canvas
24 x 32 in
Estimate: $60,000–$90,000
Sold: $93,600
David Shepherd (1931–2017)
Leopards at the Waterhole
oil on canvas
18 x 28 in
Estimate: $20,000–$30,000
Sold: $61,425
N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945)
Untitled (Portrait of a Cowboy), 1908
oil on canvas on board
10 1/2 x 10 1/2 in
Estimate: $80,000–$120,000
Sold: $99,450
Dean Cornwell (1892–1960)
Illustration for “The Enchanted Hill,” 1924
oil on canvas
36 x 30 in
Estimate: $50,000–$75,000
Sold: $128,700
Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975)
Study for the Pathfinder, 1925
oil on board
14 x 11
Estimate: $175,000-$225,000
Sold: $239,850
Frank Tenney Johnson (1874–1939)
Branding a Maverick (1913)
oil on canvas
34 x 24 in
Estimate: $175,000–$275,000
Sold: $152,100
Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902)
Source of the Snake River
oil on paper mounted on canvas
14 x 19
Estimate: $300,000-$500,000
Sold: $234,000
Oscar Berninghaus (1874-1952)
Taos Field of Workers, 1950
oil on canvas
25 x 30
Estimate: $400,000-$500,000
Sold: $321,750
