NEW YORK — Dubbed the ‘Storyteller of the Native American,’ Howard Terpning (b. 1927-) is recognized as one of the most important living Western artists. Terpning captures the story of the West — its history and culture — in a way that resonates with audiences and brings solid prices on the auction market.
Roxanne Hofmann, a partner at Jackson Hole Art Auction in Jackson, Wyoming, said the artist’s paintings can be found in private collections as well as in many institutions. “Terpning’s artwork has stood the test of time as a highly collectible artist. When presented for auction, there is always buyer demand.” In July 2023, Paper That Talks Two Ways — The Treaty Signing commanded $2 million at Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, setting a world record not just for Terpning, but for any Western contemporary artist at auction
“His realistic paintings vividly capture Native American traditions, customs, and history, making them sought-after and acclaimed,” Hofmann said. “Terpning’s ability to evoke emotions and tell compelling stories through his art has solidified his legacy as a masterful painter of the American frontier. His contributions continue to enrich Western art, and he remains a celebrated figure in the genre.”
Most auctioneers would give their eye teeth to sell an original Terpning painting like the one that set the record in July 2023, but the reality is few of that caliber come to auction. Private and institutional collectors eagerly snap up Terpning’s best paintings and are not keen to let them go.
During the years, Jackson Hole Art Auction has had several Terpning paintings grace its sale room. A large-scale oil on canvas, Vanishing Pony Tracks, broke the million-dollar record for the artist in September 2021 when it achieved $1.2 million plus the buyer’s premium.
“The painting’s appeal benefits from its iconic subject of Plains Indians crossing a stream to avoid tracks leading to their location,” Hofmann said. “The art is brought to life by Terpning’s complex composition, executed with his beautiful treatment of glistening light upon the water. Its allure was further enhanced by the fact that the painting was a personal commission by legendary oilman and art collector T. Boone Pickens.”
Terpning is one of a handful of living Western artists to see his works bring seven figures at auction. For contemporary artists such as Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, and David Hockney, a million dollar-auction price is routine and often expected, but Western artists have always had to fight for their market share. With the best works of greats such as Charles Marion (C.M.) Russell and Frederic Remington now residing in museums, Terpning has emerged as the modern-day dean of Western art.
Also hitting seven figures was a camp life scene of his, Major North and the Pawnee Battalion, which realized $1.3 million plus the buyer’s premium at Jackson Hole Art Auction in September 2014. This painting tells a story related to the growth of the Union Pacific Railroad, when local Native American groups such as the Pawnee were employed as security forces to protect the railroad’s construction crews.
One particular Terpning lauded for its storytelling is Status Symbols, which achieved $325,000 plus the buyer’s premium at Jackson Hole Art Auction in September 2023. The work, measuring 24 by 36in, is a bit smaller than his large-scale paintings but still delivers a realistic and empathetic portrait of a warrior.
Hofmann described this painting as “a classic Terpning story treatment as told by the pictographs painted on the buffalo skin worn by the Native American depicted, which record the many battles the warrior has faced. His strength, bravery, and dignity can be seen in his face.”
Terpning’s artistry and storytelling was honed in his initial career as a commercial illustrator of movie posters for films such as The Sound of Music, the re-release of Gone with the Wind, and Cleopatra. Many artists would have been delighted to spend their working lives creating movie poster art, but Terpning saw it as the moneymaker that would eventually free him to paint what he really wanted to paint. “Being able to capture the essence of a feature-length movie in a single broadsheet no doubt influenced his ability to tell a compelling story in the Western fine art that followed,” Hofmann said.
An example of Terpning’s prowess in this realm appeared on the LiveAuctioneers platform at Heritage Auctions in October 2011. His signed 1963 mixed media on board illustration for the poster for 55 Days at Peking, a film starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and David Niven set against the backdrop of the Boxer Rebellion in China, brought $11,500 plus the buyer’s premium.
While his output has decreased in his later years, a 2000 portrait titled Proud Men has all the artistic mastery and insightful qualities one would expect from the artist. This 24-by-34in oil painting secured $180,000 plus the buyer’s premium at Lone Star Art Auction in October 2023.
Shadow and light are expertly balanced in this image of two proud Plains people, conveying the honor they lived their lives with. The image appeared on the cover of Don Hedgpeth’s book Howard Terpning: Spirit of the Plains People.
Giclees obviously do not sell for sums that rival the prices of original oil paintings, but a framed giclee print of Terpning’s Force of Nature Humbles All Men outperformed its $5,000-$10,000 estimate to land at $19,000 plus the buyer’s premium in May 2023 at Santa Fe Art Auction. A giclee tends to sell for around a third of the price of the painting it replicates, placing these prints in the reach of collectors who are not yet ready or able to commit six figures for a canvas.
Howard Terpning’s works capture the cultural richness and dramatic landscapes of a bygone time in the American West, Hofmann explained. “Most paintings are historical vignettes that let the viewer feel that they are not merely observing the action, but are a participant,” she said. “That’s one reason his artwork remains popular with collectors today, and why he is often referenced as the ‘Storyteller of the Native American’.”
