The C.M. Russell Museum hit $9.16 million in sales at this year’s auction events.
It’s the largest sale of Charles M. Russell’s work and Western art in the auction’s 57-year history, according to the museum.
Russell’s watercolor, Women of America, sold for $1.6 million, was the biggest sale of the event.
The auction included 356 lots and other significant historical sales included Russell’s Mandan Buffalo Hunt, selling for $750,000; and Joseph Henry Sharp’s Moonlight Songs, which sold for $625,000.
Contemporary sales included Jeremy Winborg’s Dahteste, As Skillful as the Men for $80,000 and Jason Rich’s Drama on the Madison for $55,000.
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“The Russell sale continues to demonstrate the enduring appreciation for Charlie Russell’s work as well as the art of
the West by his contemporaries and today’s living artists,” Chris Warden, museum executive director, said in a release. “As our largest fundraising event, the auction ensures our continued mission to preserve and share Russell’s legacy with future generations.”
After covering artists’ commissions, consignor fees and event expenses, about $1 million from the auction proceeds
will go directly toward supporting the museum’s operation, covering more than a third of the museum’s annual operating budget.
This year’s auction featured more than 125 historic pieces, including more than 20 works by Russell and works by his contemporaries, such as O.C. Seltzer, Joseph Henry Sharp, Edgar S. Paxson, Maynard Dixon, Henry Farny, Edward Borein and Eanger Irving Couse.
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“Thanks to the incredible consignment by the family of Sam and Elaine Rosenthal, this year’s auction features not only exceptional Russell works but also the most comprehensive collection of his contemporaries we’ve ever offered,” says Duane Braaten, the museum’s director of art and philanthropy said in a release.
The Rosenthal family, lifelong supporters of the museum, built their art collection over decades. Sam and Elaine Rosenthal were engaged with the museum, serving as auction co-chairs in 1990.
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Their children said in a release earlier this year that “it’s an honor to see our family’s collection featured in The Russell 2025. This event allows us to celebrate our parents’ legacy while giving back to an institution they cared about. We’re
happy that these pieces will find homes with collectors who share their passion for Western art.”
The museum doesn’t sell pieces from its permanent collection and all historic works auctioned during Western Art Week come from private collections, with consignors placing them in the sale.
Next year’s Russell events are set for March 19-21.
