The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction once again affirmed its leadership in the Western art market, realizing over $22 million in sales with 96% of lots sold while setting multiple world records at its July 26, 2025, auction. Leading the sale were works by Maynard Dixon, Charles M. Russell, and Howard Terpning.
Maynard Dixon (1875 – 1946), Open Range (1942) oil on canvas mounted on board, 36 × 40 inches.
The highlight of the sale was Maynard Dixon’s Open Range, which sold for $2,015,000 — the second-highest price ever achieved at auction for the artist. The record remains with The Pony Boy, which fetched $2,130,000 at the 2023 Coeur d’Alene Art Auction. Coeur d’Alene is now responsible for the three highest prices ever paid for Dixon works, underscoring its ongoing success with the artist.
Charles M. Russell (1864 – 1926), Roping a Wolf (1904) oil on canvas, 15 × 20 inches.
Charles M. Russell remained a cornerstone of the Western art market’s premier event, with eight of his works eclipsing the six-figure mark. Highlights included Roping a Wolf ($1,325,000), Where the Best of Riders Quit ($484,000), and Meat for Wild Men ($363,000). His dramatic watercolor The Chase exceeded expectations, selling for $423,500 against a high estimate of $250,000. In total, works by Montana’s favorite son brought in more than $4.5 million.
Howard Terpning (b. 1927), Chased by the Devil (1990), oil on canvas, 40 × 34 inches.
Howard Terpning, another Coeur d’Alene Art Auction mainstay, also delivered strong results. Chased by the Devil realized $726,000, while Posing for Posterity brought $272,250 and The Challenger sold for $169,400. In total, Terpning’s works brought in over $1.2 million.
Bob Kuhn (1920 – 2007), Rhino and Cattle Egrets (1973), acrylic on board, 24 × 36 inches.
The Yturria Collection, consigned by the late Fausto Yturria, Jr. — a Texas rancher, philanthropist, and businessman — grossed over $1 million. Notable pieces from the 30-work collection included Bob Kuhn’s Rhino and Cattle Egrets ($272,250), Two Jumps from Forever ($229,900), The Huntress ($108,900), and Kudu Along the Chobe ($84,700). Overall, Kuhn’s works performed exceptionally well, with nearly $2 million in total sales and 11 of 16 lots topping $100,000.
Philip R. Goodwin (1881 – 1935), An Interrupted Duel, oil on canvas, 24 × 33 inches.
Sporting art beyond Kuhn also attracted enthusiastic bidding. Philip R. Goodwin’s An Interrupted Duel realized $363,000, and A Call to Action brought $266,200. David Shepherd’s Tsavo in Dry Season, a stately painting of elephants, attracted international interest while selling for $84,700.
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 – 1953), Tales of the Warbonnet, oil on canvas, 30 × 36 inches.
Taos School Artists continued to be well-represented at the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction. Joseph Henry Sharp’s Tales of the Warbonnet achieved $423,500; Old War Chief and Son fetched $121,000; The Artist’s Studio, New Mexico more than doubled its high estimate at $114,950; and Pipe Ceremony realized $96,800. E. Martin Hennings’ Riding Through the Aspens sold for $393,250. Two works by Nicolai Fechin, Niña and The Sycamore Tree, brought over $350,000 combined. Other highlights included: Walter Ufer’s The Washerwoman ($217,800); Eanger Irving Couse’s Indian with Blanket ($193,600); and Bert Geer Phillips’ A Taos Pueblo Man and His Pony ($157,300).
Works by Native American artists Oscar Howe, Earl Biss, and Tony Abeyta garnered considerable attention, reflecting a growing interest in Indigenous perspectives in Western art. Howe’s Dancer, a modernist painting that captures the dynamic energy of a Native American dancer, led the group at $229,900, contributing to a total of over $750,000 from his works. Biss’ Warriors on the Sweet Grass sold for $27,225, and Abeyta’s Cottonwoods fetched $22,990.
Paul Pletka, renowned for his surreal portrayals of Native American traditions and the spirit of the American West, set a world record with General Custer, which sold for $72,600 against a $30,000 – 50,000 estimate. His four paintings totaled nearly $190,000 overall.
The Wyeth family legacy continued with strong results. N. C. Wyeth’s The Fight in the Peaks, a high-action scene depicting a railroad mail carrier in the Rockies being set upon by a pack of wolves, sold for $363,000, while Jamie Wyeth’s Gulls of Monhegan, #2 brought $84,700.
Edgar Payne (1883 – 1947), The Topmost Sierra (ca. 1921), oil on canvas, 43 × 43 inches.
Several fine selections of California landscape paintings found new homes: Edgar Payne’s masterpiece The Topmost Sierra fetched $332,750; while Thomas Hill’s View of Yosemite Valley and Yosemite Valley each sold for $169,400, and Yosemite Valley (Falls) brought $157,300.
Works by famed East Coast landscape artists Wolf Kahn and Rockwell Kent achieved stellar results. Kahn’s Nantucket Summer, 5:30 am sold for $102,850, while Waiting for Warm Weather saw fervent bidding before finally settling at $78,650. Kent’s Blackhead, Monhegan Island, Maine, a picturesque coastal scene, generated significant pre-sale buzz that extended onto the bidding floor, shattering its high estimate of $30,000 and ultimately selling for $102,850.
Exceptional bronzes included Alexander Proctor’s The Buckaroo ($121,000), Rembrandt Bugatti’s Petit Buffle Anoa ($84,700), and Solon Borglum’s Pushing Ahead – Washington, 1753 ($57,475).
Marjorie Reed, known for her portrayals of stagecoaches and the Old West, achieved a world record when Changing the Team at Vallecito sold for $30,250 – more than triple its high estimate.
Mark Maggiori (b. 1977), Going Home Before Dark (2015), oil on canvas, 24 × 24 inches.
Coeur d’Alene also continued its leadership in the contemporary Western art market. Highlights included: Mark Maggiori’s Going Home Before Dark ($78,650); Don Oelze’s They Struck and Were Gone ($66,550); Logan Maxwell Hagege’s When the Clouds Change Color ($48,400); Rachel Brownlee’s Sentinel ($27,225); Phil Epp’s On the Open Plains ($27,225); Jeremy Winborg’s Try Me ($21,780); Billy Schenck’s Strays Everywhere ($20,570); and Kim Wiggins’ The Gatherers at Taos Pueblo ($16,940).
The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has specialized in the finest classical Western and American art since 1985. With more than 125 years of combined experience, the auction principals have realized over $400 million in sales for their clients over the past two decades. The auction’s next sale will be its annual live online auction, scheduled for November 8, 2025 , where additional works from the Yturria Collection — featuring artists such as Bob Kuhn, Kenneth Riley, Dan Mieduch, and more — will cross the block.
For full results and more information, please visit www.cdaartauction.com or call 208-772-9009. The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has offices in Hayden, Idaho; Reno, Nevada; and Tucson, Arizona.