Masters of the West

Western art takes center stage at the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction in Reno, Nevada

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Maynard Dixon (1875-1946), Open Range, 1942. Oil on canvas mounted on board, 36 x 40 in. Estimate: $800/1,200,000

On July 26, the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction returns to Reno, Nevada. The sale will feature more than 350 lots, the vast majority of which are from the popular genre of Western art.

For auction partner Mike Overby, the sale speaks to the reliability and growing popularity of Western art, which has roots in 19th-century artist-explorers who ventured into the American frontier and recorded their journeys in watercolor, drawings and paintings. The art moved from paintings of Native Americans and landscapes to images of cowboys and cattle, and then depictions of the Southwest and its people. Some of the greatest American artists worked within the genre, and many will be featured in the sale. "We have 350 lots and we're right where we want to be—with some truly remarkable artwork from many of the greats," Overby says. "It was exciting watching all this art roll in from some of the best consignors in the country."

Joseph Henry Sharp (18591953), Tales of the Warbonnet. Oil on canvas, 30 x 36 in. Estimate: $300/500,000