The Summer 2008 sale of California and American Painting and Sculpture at Bonhams & Butterfields is being assembled for August 5, 2008, highlighted by a desirable Maynard Dixon mountain scene

A stunning western landscape on offer by early 20th century artist Maynard Dixon is titled Mountains in Sunset Light (No. 368). Measuring 25×30-inches, the desolate scene is an example of Dixon’s progression from figurative works to pure landscape – the subject matter for which he is best known and respected. Estimated to bring $300,000 to $400,000, the fresh-to-market painting is expected to garner interest from California and Western collectors alike. Summer Clouds, New Mexico (No. 409) (est. $180/220,000), a compelling desert landscape by Dixon, will also be featured during the summer auction. The work demonstrates the influence of the artist’s journey to Taos, NM and displays a dynamic juxtaposition of clouds in relation to the earth on the open range. The 300-lot, two-session sale will feature a wide variety of important California, Western, Society of Six, Hawaiian scenes and Plein Air works by established American artists including Dixon, Charles Marion Russell, Selden Connor Gile, Edgar Payne, Frank Tenney Johnson, John Marshall Gamble, William Wendt, Oscar Edmund Berninghaus and David Howard Hitchcock, among many others.

Additional highlights on offer during the August 5th sale include: a classic example of work from John Marshall Gamble, aptly titled California Wildflowers (est. $100/150,000); William Wendt’s Converging Fields (est. $150/200,000) painted in the artist’s characteristic Plein Air style; and two works by Armin Hansen — First Feel of Leather and Running Mates, both estimated to fetch $80,000 to $120,000.

Simulcast between salesrooms in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the August sale’s catalog will feature a series of what the department describes as “breath-taking views” — landscapes and seascapes, portraiture and genre scenes.

Preview events are scheduled in San Francisco for July 25-27 and August 1-3 in Los Angeles. The illustrated online catalog can be reviewed at www.bonhams.com/us in the weeks preceding the sale and previews.

Posted: 07|18|08 at 10:14 am. Filed under: US News.