Great Falls Elks Lodge, Great Falls, MT March 20-22
The 38th annual March in Montana sale and show is one of the main draws for collectors of Western art from around the world at the Western Art Week in Great Falls, Montana. This year’s event, presented by Coeur d’Alene Galleries and Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, will be held March 20 to 22 at the Great Falls Elks Lodge. The auction will showcase Western and Native American art, artifacts and sculpture, as well as works by Montana and Alaska artists.
“We will have approximately 750 lots over the two-day sale this year,” says managing partner Ron Nicklas. He’s especially excited about several pieces by legendary artist Charles M. Russell.
“We have two Russell portraits, both are watercolors. One is of a Native woman, UNTITLED (PORTRAIT OF A NATIVE AMERICAN WOMAN), and the other is PORTRAIT OF CHIEF JOSEPH,” Nicklas says. Each piece is expected to fetch between $50,000 and $70,000.
The three-day event will kick off March 20 with a dealer show and auction preview of the more than 725 lots, which extends through Friday and Saturday afternoons. Live auctions begin at 11 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and are free to the public.
“We have always drummed up something really unique for our sale,” Nicklas says. “This year we have a great oil by Bob Ross.”
Ross, who’s perhaps best known for his TV fame on The Joy of Painting, has had very few pieces ever come up for auction. The work for sale is a large landscape Ross painted while he was stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska in the 1960s. Ross gave it to the consignor’s mother, who was his dear friend and fishing buddy when he painted it.
Collectors of Western art can expect to see spectacular works being auctioned this year. Highlights include Sydney Laurence’s MT. MCKINLEY, which could bring $25,000 to $35,000, and BIG SKY – SAND HILL CAMP by American artist Maynard Dixon, which is set at $30,000 to $50,000.
Rounding out this year’s auction are more than 60 Navajo weavings; collectible firearms; more than 100 bronze sculptures from artists like Grant Speed, Dave McGary and Lorenzo Ghiglieri; and Native American artifacts from two different collections.
In addition to live bidding, telephone proxy bidding and absentee bidding are also available. —Sarah Gleim
contact information(208) 664-2091marchinmontana.com
This story appeared in the February/March 2025 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.
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