Please note our offices will be closed from Friday March 29 through Monday April 1 for Easter. Local pick-ups will start on Tuesday April 2.
      
      
      

LOT 146

1869 - 1959
American

Mountain Trail Hikers
oil on canvas
signed
16 x 12 in, 40.6 x 30.5 cm

Estimate: $80,000 - $100,000 CAD

Sold for: $67,250

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Alberta

LITERATURE
Jon Whyte and E.J. Hart, Carl Rungius: Painter of the Western Wilderness, Glenbow Museum, 1985, page 137
Karen Wonders, Carl Rungius: Artist and Sportsman, Glenbow Museum, 2001, page 106, reproduced page 106

EXHIBITED
Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Carl Rungius: Artist and Sportsman, June 10 - November 13, 2000, catalogue #92


Carl Rungius was a member of numerous naturalist groups in the United States and Canada. He belonged to the Boone and Crockett Club and the Campfire Club of America; he was also president of the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies in 1928 and a founding member and president of the Skyline Hikers of the Canadian Rockies in the 1930s. Karen Wonders notes of Mountain Trail Hikers: “This brilliantly coloured painting was the basis for a 1939 Canadian Pacific Railway poster advertising the Skyline Trail Hikers Camp in Ptarmigan Valley. Rungius, a charter member of the group, enjoyed the annual hikes and no doubt added to its tourist appeal through his celebrity status.” Rungius’s skill on the trail was noted by a fellow hiker: “In the Camp Fire Club of America…he is respected by all, not alone for his ability as a painter but also for his skill in woodcraft. There is no member of the club who is his peer as an outdoor man.” In Mountain Trail Hikers, Rungius achieved a dynamic sense of movement. Contrasting the strong diagonal direction of the rocky slopes, the sinuous line of climbers and the verticality of the peaks, he created a scene that embodies the euphoria of this mountain trek.


Estimate: $80,000 - $100,000 CAD

All prices are in Canadian Dollars


Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.