by Michael Duty & Susan Hallsten McGarry
Publishers: Fresco Fine Art Publications

In honor of Michael Duty — Director, Art of the American West, Heritage Auction Galleries celebrates the publication of Texas Traditions: Contemporary Artists of the Lone Star State
by Michael Duty & Susan Hallsten McGarry

Frederic Remington's evocative, minimalist oil painting, A Mexican Buccaroo - In Texas, circa 1890, lived up to its billing as the catalog cover lot, brought an impressive $233,025 to lead Heritage Auction Galleries May 15 Signature Art of the American West & Texas Art Auction, which realized more than $1.174 million in total. All prices include 19.5% Buyer's Premium.

"This auction once again proves that pairing Texas and Western Art provides a great opportunity for collectors of both genres," said Michael Duty, Director of Western Art at Heritage, "an opportunity that those collectors took good advantage of. We'll certainly continue to seek out and concentrate on those paintings and artists in the western field that have strong Texas roots."

Remington may not have been a Texas painter, but his subjects often were, as was the case with A Mexican Buccaroo - In Texas. The pairing of the subject of the painting and the location of the auction itself presented an ideal chance for a smart collector to pick up this important genre-crossing early work from Remington, America's favorite "Western" artist.

The Texas connection continued very strong throughout the auction, with Texas artists and subjects performing extremely well. The top Texas lot, Julian Onderdonk's sublime Bluebonnets at Sunrise, brought $107,550, while Loren Mozley's Onion Creek Bridge realized an impressive $65,725.

Joseph Henry Sharp's stunning portrait of a Native American, simply titled Jerry, is a classic example of the artist's ability to convey the individual humanity and personality of his subject, while at the same time presenting a universal representation of Native America and a way of life that had, by the time this image was created, already been irrevocably altered by modern times. Yet, in his handling of Jerry's face, Sharp is able to convey a persevering spirit that will endure. It realized $71,070.

The paintings of Martin Grelle usually perform quite well in Heritage events, and the May 15 auction proved no exception, as Grelle's paintings continue to show themselves among the most sought after of all Texas Contemporary Artists. His 2006 painting Cheyenne Pride realized $41,825.

G. Harvey saw two of his paintings finish in the Top 10 lots of the auction, as his 1964 oil painting Broken Oak realized $23,900 and his 1976 painting, Letter from Home, depicting a moment of isolation drawn from the lonely realities of daily life of a cowboy, realized $21,510.

The paintings of Olaf Wieghorst proved a popular draw in the auction, with two of his paintings performing well enough to also break into the Top 10 overall paintings in the auction. Wieghorst's The Old Ranch, sold exclusively to benefit the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Permanent Collection Acquisitions Department, brought $22,705, while his Looking for Strays realized $21,510.

Highlights Include
Julian Onderdonk Bluebonnets at Sunrise	Joseph Henry Sharp Jerry	Martin Grelle Cheyenne Pride