June 06, 2010 Post Auction

Sandzen Paintings Make
172k For Endowment

Proceeds Benefit Scholarship Fund

LONE JACK, MO JUNE 21, 2010 – Dirk Soulis and his team have sold three paintings by Kansas artist Birger Sandzen (1871-1954) for more than $172,000. The proceeds will establish an endowment scholarship fund for the sellers, the Hoisington Kansas USD 431 School District.

Earlier this year when the Hoisington Kansas school board realized the value of the paintings that had hung in their school for more than six decades, they were forced to make a difficult decision. Their research told them that to protect and preserve the works would require resources the district could not afford. Two oil paintings and one watercolor had come to Hoisington directly from professor Sandzen, director of the art school at Bethany College in Lindsbourg, Kansas from 1894 to 1946. According to an article in the Hoisington newspaper of May 16, 1946, “The Senior class, under the sponsorship of Miss Whisman, always leaves an annual gift.” The article goes on to report that the graduating class of 1946 chose to dedicate a 30 x 40 inch oil on panel by artist Birger Sandzen to their fallen classmates Charles Harper and Jack Cox. The painting, titled Wild Horse Creek, was purchased from Sandzen at the discounted price of $250. On June 6th, 2010 Wild Horse Creek, a landscape inspired by the scenery around Hill City, Kansas, was sold at Dirk Soulis’ 11th Annual Spring Fine Art Auction for $107,500. The next lot in the auction was another of the school’s paintings; a Kansas Landscape at twilight titled Autumn Colors. It garnered a final bid of $55,000. Next, a watercolor from the 1940s that had hung in the library, a gift from professor Sandzen, according to Hoisington’s school newspaper The Cardinal, fetched $9,000, nearly triple it’s original estimate.

When asked about the high selling prices for these works auctioneer Dirk Soulis said, “While I was very pleased, I wasn’t all that surprised by the results. They sold at about 20 percent over the top estimated range that we submitted in our report to the school board.” Soulis then went on to say, “I’ve known for years that the Mid-west was the best place to offer these regional treasures. Why risk sending them 1,000 miles away when you can safely and more reasonably bring the national market here where local buyers with a connection to the Sandzen tradition can compete?”

As part of the agreement with Dirk Soulis Auctions, the school will receive large, high quality framed reproductions to serve as placeholders for the original works.