G. Harvey Art Reaches New High Price and Great Demand at Auction

Winter's Gold 24 x 36 by G. Harvery

Land of No Fences 24 x 36 by G. Harvey

New York, New York 40 x 30 by G. Harvey

Manhattan Showers 12 x 9 by G. Harvey  available from J Watson Fine Art

G. Harvey is truly an American treasure and collectors have been showing their appreciation of his beautiful original paintings with fierce bidding at auction recently.

Several (but not all) auction lots have closed with sales prices way over auction estimates. Notably at Jackson Hole Art Auction this September, Winter Gold (Western) sold for almost 170,000 with auction estimates of 60,000-90,000, Land of No Fences (Western) sold for over 140,000 with auction estimates of 70,000-90,000, and in April, the wonderful city scene New York, New York sold for over 281,000 despite auction estimates of 120,000-180,000, setting a new record for a G. Harvey painting at auction (so far).

Though rare, there are still some small G. Harvey original paintings at modest prices that can be acquired in the teens and twenties that we can offer to collectors wanting a one of a kind treasure from this talented artist, and some larger paintings as well.

As with any fine art, there are no guarantees about what will happen with prices in the future, so my advice is always to buy art that you love, rather than just for investment only.

Whatever the prices, G. Harvey's original paintings are beautiful and have wonderful impressionistic technique, and they bring joy to collectors and those who view them. They also bring to the world an appreciation for the simple things and good values that are part of the spirit of America.

You can view G. Harvey originals available from J Watson Fine Art  at the G. Harvey exhibit on our website, and for information or photos of additional originals contact us at 661 476-7558 or e-mail info@jwatsonfineart.com.

Highlights and Sales Results--Couer d' Alene Western Art Auction 2012

Shirt Worn by Chief Joseph Sold for 877,500 at Auction

Scout's Report by Howard Terpning Sold for 977,000 at Auction

A Life of Cultivation by Scott Tallman Powers--Winner of the Collector's Choice Award

The 2012 Couer d'Alene auction realized total sales of over 17.4 Million  up from last year's 16.9 Million.

Top sales prices included Howard Terpning's "Scout's Report" which sold for 977,000, Frank Tenney-Johnson's "Cowboys Roping the Bear" which sold for 921,000, and a shirt worn by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe (and documented in the earliest known photo of him and a painting that hangs in the Smithsonian and was used for a U.S. postage stamp), which sold for 877,500.

Although there were many sales (90% of all lots sold),  and overall sales were up over last year, we didn't see the way over estimates sales on Terpning paintings that we did at the last big auction in Scottsdale. Can't complain about the almost 1 Million hammer price on "Scout's Report", though.

There were many wonderful paintings, and some very good buys to be had. One of my collectors walked away with a painting well below what he was prepared to pay for it.

Auctions are a funny thing.--sometimes there are two or more collectors who want the same painting and prices can go wild, other times if collectors intent on buying paintings by a particular artist don't attend, or buy something else during the auction, and use up their art budget, you may find a treasure for less than you would expect.
 
The Collector's Choice Award for the 2012 event went to Scott Tallman Powers for his new painting "A Life of Cultivation", which sold for 22,230..

Western Art at the Couer d'Alene Art Auction 2012

The Sutter Creek Stage (1932) by Frank Tenney Johnson (1874-1939)

The Couer d'Alene Art Auction is coming up Saturday July 21st, with an artwork preview and party on Friday, July 20th at the Silver Legacy Resort  in Reno, Nevada.

Heralded as the biggest Western art auction by the Wall Street Journal, the Couer d'Alene auction offers some wonderful art treasures for Western art collectors and dealers.

This year some of the highlights include art by deceased artists such as Albert Bierstadt,  Frank Tenney Johnson, Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington, as well as living masters Howard Terpning, G. Harvey, Morgan Wiestling, and Mian Situ, just to name a few.

Most of the artwork comes to auction from museum or private collections, but there are also some new paintings created just for the auction by some of today's top Western and wildlife artists.by invitation only.

At the recent Scottsdale Art Auction in March of 2012,  many Howard Terpning paintings exceeded auction estimates dramatically. Captured Ponies had an estimate of 400-600K and ended up selling for over 1.9 Million, and Mystic Power of the War Shield had an estimate of 600-900K and sold for over 1.7 Million, which were the two top lots in the auction. It will be interesting to see what happens with the Terpning paintings at the Couer d' Alene this year.

The Autry Museum just hosted an exhibition about Howard, who is now in his 80's with more than 80 of his original paintings on display. A new book of his art,  Terpning: Tribute to the Plains People ,was recently released.

Not all of the art is at the seven figure range at the Couer d'Alene auction, however. There are lots with low estimates starting from a few thousand up to the strong six figures.

You can  preview the art that will be at the Couer d'Alene Auction here. If you can't attend you can place a proxy bid, or if you would prefer to have an art dealer take care of the process, J Watson Fine Art offers bidding assistance for our collectors. You may contact us at 661 476-7558 or e-mail us at info@jwatsonfineart.com  for more information.