For the second year, Fay Ranches sponsored the First Strike Friday Night auction at what has affectionately become known simply as, “The Russell”, a week-long western art event culminating in 2 nights of a live auction benefiting the C.M. Russell Museum located in Great Falls, Montana.
Charlie Russell lived and worked as a cowboy in Central Montana from 1882 until his death in 1924, and is one of the most famous and influential artists of the Old American West, depicting life as it truly was. Charlie was many things: consummate Westerner, historian, an advocate of the Northern Plains Indians, cowboy, writer, outdoorsman, philosopher, environmentalist, conservationist, and not least, artist. He was a painter, sculptor, storyteller, and author, and his works have sold in the millions.
Every March since 1969, the art auction has taken place in Great Falls and has become a renowned event for art collectors throughout the world. In 2015, Fay Ranches recognized the importance of the work of the C.M. Russell Museum in preserving the legacy of the American West and became actively involved in helping the museum with this goal. The First Strike auction focuses solely on works by contemporary artists. Experienced collectors and burgeoning bidders alike compete for works in a casual, lively, and fun atmosphere of live music – this year, by local cowboy musician and his band, Wylie and the Wild West.
Fay Ranches broker, John Anderson, has attended for two years now and stated what an honor it has been to be part of such a meaningful event – rich in the history of the Old American West and the preservation of this by the C. M. Russell Museum and its many supporters.
