Lone Star Art Auction | October 12, 2024 | Dallas, TX

The Big Gather

Lone Star Art Auction brings collectors a variety of Western artwork during the annual Dallas sale.

By Michael Clawson

Now in its third year, the Lone Star Art Auctionis returning to Dallas on October 12 with an exceptional offering of Western fine art. For auction owner Phil Berkebile, who also owns the Great American West gallery, the sale is an opportunity to show the strength of the Western art market.

Tom Ryan (1922-2011), The Big Gather (Four Sixes), oil, 24 x 48 in. Estimate: $150/200,000“I look at the other sales and I see every indication that the art market is healthy and strong. It also helps to have great material, which is what we bring every year,” Berkebile says. “And this year the pieces are very special, including a number of pieces that are coming out of large collections.”

One of those large collections comes from the late Jere W. Thompson, the former CEO and president of the Southland Corporation, which owned the convenience store chain 7-Eleven. Besides the Slurpee and 24-hour service, both of which were pioneered by Southland’s founder (Joe C. Thompson, the collector’s father), Thompson also maintained a large and magnificent Western art collection. Offerings from the collection include several top pieces that could bring in fireworks.

Frank McCarthy (1924-2002), Chance of the Hunt, oil, 30 x 40 in. Estimate: $50/70,000

One of the most-watched pieces is Tom Ryan’s The Big Gather (Four Sixes), an oil measuring 24 by 48 inches. The work, estimated at $150,000 to $200,000, could easily surpass Ryan’s 2007 world auction record of $203,000. Berkebile notes the size of the work, the stunning composition and the setting on the 6666 Ranch, one of the most iconic ranches in the country. “I’ve known about this piece and the collection it was in for 15 years. It’s my favorite piece of Ryan’s by a mile. It documents an event that took place on the 6666 in 1968, one of the last big cattle roundups done in the traditional way. There were more than 2,500 cattle during that roundup,” Berkebile says. “The chuckwagon is very famous and it has the 6666 brand right on the side. This is an iconic work.”

Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), Ditch Workers, Taos N. Mex, oil, 20 x 24 in. Estimate: $90/120,000

Other pieces from the Thompson collection include Howard Terpning’s Trail in the Bitterroots (est. $400/600,000), a luscious forest scene with several Native American riders, and Tom Lovell’s The New Trade Gun (est. $50/70,000), showing a single figure proudly holding a new rifle.

Frank Tenney Johnson (1874-1939), Down the Canyon Floor, oil, 30 x 24 in. Estimate: $125/175,000

The auction owner expects more than 200 lots, with many popular Western artists represented in the sale. One of those artists is Texas painter G. Harvey, who is a staple at many Western auctions from coast to coast. “We always have great G. Harvey pieces, and there is no better place to get one than in Texas,” Berkebile says. “This year we have 13 pieces from the artist—nine paintings and four bronzes.” The top Harvey being offered is Leaving the City Lights,a snow scene with moody lighting and classic Harvey figures. The work is estimated at $80,000 to $110,000.

G. Harvey (1933-2017), Leaving the City Lights, oil, 24 x 36 in. Estimate: $80/110,000

Tom Lovell (1909-1997), The New Trade Gun, oil, 26 x 22 in. Estimate: $50/70,000

Elsewhere in the sale is Charlie Dye’s Cutting Out Mexican Cows, estimated at $80,000 to $100,000, and Frank McCarthy’s thrilling hunting scene Chance of the Hunt, estimated at $50,000 to $70,000. The Dye work has a unique brand on the cattle, which Berkebile has tracked back to Sam Houston, the first president of the Republic of Texas. “I had to go back to a 1936 cattle brand book to find that brand registered to Sam Houston’s family in San Saba County [in Texas],” Berkebile says. “For that McCarthy, it’s probably the best McCarthy we’ve ever handled. It’s an extra special piece.”

Andy Warhol (1927-1987), Bald Eagle, screenprint, 38 x 38 in. Estimate: $175/225,000

Works that originated in or around Taos, New Mexico, include Nicolai Fechin’s Self-portrait, estimated at $125,000 to $175,000, and Joseph Henry Sharp’s Ditch Workers, Taos N. Mex, estimated at $90,000 to $120,000. One piece, Julian Onderdonk’s Sunset on Wular Lake, originated far from Northern New Mexico, in India. Onderdonk, long famous for his Texas landscapes, painted the image for a world-traveling Texas family. Onderdonk copied, in his own style, a work by Major Edward Molyneux, who had painted the Himalayan Valley of Kashmir. Onderdonk acknowledges the copy in his signature, which includes “after Maj. E. Molyneaux.” Berkebile notes that the piece is very unique.

Charlie Dye (1906-1972), Cutting Out Mexican Cows, oil, 30 x 40 in. Estimate: $80/100,000

Lone Star Art Auction frequently features works by modern artist Andy Warhol, and this year’s sale is no exception with the inclusion of Bald Eagle, from the artist’s Endangered Species portfolio completed in 1983. The piece is a hand-pulled screenprint. Berkebile says Bald Eagle “is the rarest and most in-demand work” from the portfolio, which consists of 10 images. He expects international interest in the work, which is estimated at $175,000 to $225,000.

Howard Terpning, Trail in the Bitterroots, oil, 40 x 48 in. Estimate: $400/600,000

In addition to the sale, which will take place October 12 at noon, the auction house will also offer a preview and reception held the evening of October 11. Both events will take place at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel.

“We are very pleased with the growth and trajectory of our auction in just 24 months’ time, and we couldn’t have done it without the trust and support of our tremendous consignors and bidders. Texas is one of the largest art markets in the world and it was lacking a major fine art auction, and we are more than happy to have filled that void,” Berkebile says. “This year we have assembled an exceptional catalog of artworks including some of the very best and rarest Western and Texas paintings and sculpture I have seen offered in many years. We should set several artist world records in this sale.” —