William Robinson Leigh's 'Home, Sweet Home' soars to $1.1 million

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William Robinson Leigh (American, 1866-1955), “Home, Sweet Home,” 1932, oil on canvas, 40 inches by 60 inches, signed and dated lower left, $1.195 million.

DALLAS – W.R. Leigh’s “Home, Sweet Home” soared to nearly double its pre-auction estimate selling for $1.195 million and setting a new world record price for the artist in Heritage Auctions’ $2.27 million Art of the American West Signature Auction, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011.

The painting came to auction from The Property of Philip Jonsson, son of former Dallas Mayor and Texas Instruments Co-Founder Eric Jonsson. All prices include 19 1/2 percent buyer’s premium.

Tom Lovell (American, 1909-1997), “The Raven Followers,” 1975, oil on board, 19 inches by 32 inches, signed lower left, $131,450.

Another W.R. Leigh masterwork, “Renegade at Bat,” 1941 – also from The Property of Philip Jonsson – finished the day at $388,375, further burnishing the artist’s reputation. “Renegade at Bay” is a superbly executed scene of a horse whose calm demeanor is an effective contrast to the tension displayed by the cowboy who is awaiting imminent danger just around the bend.

Tom Lovell is a perennial favorite in Western art and illustration art auctions; his “The Raven Followers,” 1975, a painting of two American Indian warriors scouting buffalo from a sweeping vista realized $131,450. Maynard Dixon proved to be another artist who collector’s continue to hotly seek, as his oil Calico Hills (Virgin Valley, Nevada; No.350), 1927, more than tripled its $30,000+ pre-auction estimate to soar to $95,600.

The work of Birgér Sandzen continues to sell well at auction, as a pair of his oil paintings enticed collectors: “Early Fall, Smoky Hill River (Kansas),” 1940, realized $71,700; “Cottonwood Trees and Pond,” 1922, earned $47,800, exceeding the high estimate.

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