The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction in Reno … Yup, Reno
By Donna L. Poulton
Credit: Coeur d’ Alene Art Auction
Founded in 1984, the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction held in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho became a highly anticipated annual event. The auction specialized in deceased artists of the West and it turned out to be a recipe for success. Over the next fifteen years, well-heeled collectors of Western Art from all over the world flocked to Coeur d'Alene to participate in an event that is conducted with the lightening quick pace of a cattle auction. Yipps, yapps and yeehaas are barked out as the spotters move the art at a staggering one-piece-per-minute pace.
Credit: Coeur d’ Alene Art Auction
In 1999, the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction moved to Reno Nevada, because, as the Wall Street Journal reported “... 42 private jets tried to fly in, and [the airport] had to divert some [planes] to Spokane because there wasn’t room.” It was time to move to bigger venue with more parking spaces.
I follow this auction like my husband follows the NBA finals and my favorites in the 2011 selection range from a Gustave Baumann at several thousand dollars to the … “money is no object” price tag on the Charlie Russell. You can see the entire 297 lots in the online catalogue at Coeur d’Alene Art Auction.
Credit:: Coeur d’ Alene Art Auction
Lot No. 294
GUSTAVE BAUMANN (1881-1971)
Superstition Mountains
woodcut
9 x 8.5 inches
Estimate: $3,000-5,000
Credit:: Coeur d’ Alene Art Auction
GUNNAR WIDFORSS (1879-1934)
Grand Canyon
watercolor on paper
12.5 x 10.25 inches
Estimate: $4,000-6,000
Credit:: Coeur d’ Alene Art Auction
CARL RUNGIUS (1869-1959)
Packhorses
oil on canvas
12 x 16 inches
Estimate: $30,000-50,000
Credit:: Coeur d’ Alene Art Auction
CHARLES M. RUSSELL (1864-1926)
M. D. Baldwin (1904)
watercolor and ink on paper
4 x 9.5 inches
Estimate: $50,000-75,000
Credit:: Coeur d’ Alene Art Auction
JOSEPH H. SHARP (1859-1953)
Ancient Songs (circa 1927)
oil on canvas
16 x 20 inches
Estimate: $100,000-200,000
Credit: Coeur d’ Alene Art Auction
MAYNARD DIXON (1875-1946)
Sculptured Sandstone (1944)
oil on canvasboard
20 x 24 inches
Estimate: $150,000-250,000
Credit: Coeur d’ Alene Art Auction
CHARLES M. RUSSELL (1864-1926)
A Dangerous Sport (1924)
watercolor on paper
17.5 x 27.5 inches
Estimate: $1,000,000-2,000,000
CBS Morning America reported on the Auction, showing the crowd of over 900 at the cattle call art sale: