Light in the Forest, my 24" x 36" oil on canvas, sold at the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction in Reno on July 30 for $10,640. The auction itself was similarly successful for its organizers, for collectors of American paintings, and for those interested in the art of Alaska. This premiere auction featured six Sydney Laurence paintings, four by Eustace Ziegler, four Theodore Richardson works, and two Jules Dahlager oils, all of which sold strongly. Among the highlights of the auction was a very fine 30" x 40" Sydney Laurence landscape of Mt. McKinley, which sold for $224,000. Obviously, collectors throughout the country are intensely interested in historical Alaskan paintings, and I was very pleased to be in the company of those Alaskan masters in this auction.
Altogether, auctioneer Peter Stremmel knocked down 272 works in about 3 1/2 hours, for a total of almost $21 million. All 600 chairs were full on the auction floor, and dealers, collectors, and others were standing three deep behind them. A half dozen individuals took live phone bids from collectors throughout the country and beyond on behalf of the auction, and Sotheby's auction house, as usual, had its own staff of several on the phones at the rear of the room, placing bids for their clients. A great pageant, and a great job as always by the organizers and staff of this important annual event.
An August Afternoon, Mt. McKinley, a 30" x 40" oil on canvas by Sydney Laurence, sold for $224,000. (All final prices referred to here include the 12% buyer's premium added by the auction to the hammer price.)
