A rare and important oil painting by Charlie Russell, The Broken Rope, highlights the Scottsdale Art Auction’s latest two-day sale, set to take place April 12-13, 2024. Scottsdale Art Auction is located at 7176, Main Street in Scottsdale. The Broken Rope, one of only a handful of Russell oils to come to market over the last decades is expected to bring between $5 million and $7 million, a result seldom seen in even the bustling Western art market, according to a press release.
The Broken Rope, completed in 1904, captures the danger and drama of the cowboy life as only someone who has lived that life would know. The painting anticipates a collision between cow and cowboy and represents Russell’s skills at depicting the action and drama of the moment. The painting was produced during one of Russell’s most active and important moments of his career as Russell expert Joan Carpenter Troccoli acknowledges when she writes “The Broken Rope represents one of Russell’s notable periodic advances in technical skill and confidence,” according to the release.
Along with the painting, the auction also boasts an important Russell Bronze, A Bronc Twister which carries an estimate of $200,000-$300,000. Another important bronze, Frederic Remington’s The Cheyenne will also cross the auction block with an estimate of $100,000-$150,000. On the historic side of the market, the auction has an extensive offering of material from the Taos Society of Artists, including multiple pieces from Joseph Sharp and Eanger Irving Couse. One Couse, The Sculptor (1914) is expected to fetch $90,000-$120,000. Staying in Taos, Nicolai Fechin’s oil Carmelita is expected to bring $300,000-$5000,000 while Walter Ufer’s A Singer is estimated at $50,000-$75,000.
Other historic paintings of note include Maynard Dixon’s Pima Indian, Arizona, 1940 ($55,000-$75,000), William R. Leigh’s Pack Trip ($250,000-$450,000), and Winold Reiss’ Indian Madonna ($25,000-$35,000).
Included in this year’s sale are pieces from early members of the cowboy artists group are John Ford Clymer’s Clearing The Palo Duro ($175,000-$275,000), Tom Lovell’s Cottonwood Gazette and oil study ($200,000-$300,000), and Frank McCarthy’s Warriors Return ($20,000-$30,000.) Also included will be works by current members of the CA, including a pair of Martin Grelle’s; Distant Signal ($150,000-$200,000) and The Challenge ($150,000-$250,000.)
The auction will also include works by some of the most in demand Western artists working today, including Mark Maggiori, Logan Hagege and Kyle Polzin. Maggiori’s The Crossing ($75,000-$100,000) is a large action scene depicting Covered Wagons crossing a mountainous western landscape. Hagege is represented by two paintings, including Pursuit of Happiness - 52 inches by 54 inches - oil of blanketed figures and riders at the Taos pueblo. The painting has an estimate of $80,000-$120,000. Kyle Polzin’s Buffalo Shield ($65,000-$95,000) will surely see interest with the audience as will his smaller painting Spirit of the Plains ($18,000-$28,000).
The auction is also known for its annual selection of works by G. Harvey. This year, Tracks Below the Rim and Boot Top Crossing are estimated at $75,000-$100,000 each while a rare New York scene, Memories of Manhattan is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.
For more information and works, visit www.scottsdaleartauction.com
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