Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV July 25
When the last “Sold!” rings out from auctioneer Troy Black late in the afternoon of Saturday, July 25, at Reno, Nevada’s Grand Sierra Resort, it will mark the conclusion of the weekend gathering that has become, over the past 41 years, arguably one of the premier events in the Western art collecting world. As many as 500 bidders converge on the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction in pursuit of some of the most desirable, rarely available paintings and sculptures. “We are, hands down, the largest Western art specific auction in the country,” says Mike Overby, one of Coeur d’Alene’s three partners along with Stuart Johnson and Peter Stremmel. The works go on display at the resort the day before, which ends with a gala dinner for auction attendees “right in the room with all those artworks.”
What a rare privilege that is, to spend an evening with and then bid the next day—the sale begins at noon and proceeds at a breathtaking clip of about one work per minute—on creations rarely, if ever, viewed by the public. A superb example may become the most sought-after piece this year: the second-ever lifetime casting of Frederic Remington’s signature bronze THE BRONCHO BUSTER (note that he used a now-archaic spelling of “bronco”), estimated to sell for between $600,000 and $900,000. “Remington was a perfectionist,” says Overby, “and he spent a lot of hands-on time with these early casts. It’s among the top three most important bronzes we’ve ever sold.”
Other rarities include Charles M. Russell’s PABLO-ALLARD BUFFALO DRIVE (est. $250,000-$350,000), a 1909 watercolor painted three years after the artist witnessed the last great roundup of wild herds. “It’s prime Russell,” Overby notes, “and historically a really important painting.” Also significant are such works as LOOKS AHEAD AND SQUAW, CROW (est. $300,000-$500,000) by Taos Society of Artists co-founder Joseph Henry Sharp, “a true masterpiece that’s been in the same family since they acquired it from Sharp,” and landscape painter Edgar Payne’s RIDERS OVERLOOKING CANYON (est. $150,000-$250,000), which presents a Grand Canyon view of enthralling depth.
Works by less familiar but no less collectible artists include HORSE DANCER (est. $100,000-$150,000) by Oscar Howe, a mid-century Yanktonai-Dakota painter who combined traditional subjects with surprisingly modernist elements; NORTHERN LIGHTS (est. $20,000- $30,000) by the late-20th-century wildlife artist Vivi Crandall; and CORN DANCE (est. $15,000-$20,000), portraying the traditional Pueblo ceremony, by American impressionist Grace Ravlin, who painted for several years with the Taos Society founders.
Among the discoveries are also lots by artists of today. “We have a sprinkling of present-day masters, too,” observes Overby, pointing to French-born, Southwest-based Mark Maggiori and his 2015 oil on canvas DOWN THE WASH (est. $80,000-$120,000), which “comes from a private collector who purchased it directly from Mark.” Yet, this too has historic significance appropriate to the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction. Overby quotes a statement from Maggiori describing the painting as “the beginning of finding my true voice in Western art.” No one viewing it, whether in print, online or in person, would disagree. —Norman Kolpas
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This story appeared in the June/July 2026 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.
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