LOS ANGELES, CA.- One of North America's most celebrated and respected painters of wildlife Carl Clemens Moritz Rungius, active mainly during the first half of the 20th century, leads the California and Western Paintings and Sculpture auction on August 2 at Bonhams Los Angeles.

“Bonhams is proud to offer a number of works in the August sale from the estate of Sylvia McLauglin, who co-founded the San Francisco Bay conservation group Save the Bay and helped pioneer the tradition of grass-roots environmental activism in California.” said Director of California and Western Art Aaron Bastian. “Works from the estate include the cover of the catalogue which is a lovely painting by Victor Higgins in exceptional original condition. The sale also includes a sterling painting by Theodore Wores, Lotus Pond, Shiba, Tokyo in a unique and original Aesthetic movement hand-carved gilt camphor wood frame.”

“Important pictures by Granville Redmond, Edgar Payne and John Marshall Gamble illustrate the strength of the numerous California painters featured in the sale. Additionally the Bear in a Stream Taking Notice by Carl Rungius is a wonderful example by one of America’s most famous wildlife artists,” he said.

Bear in a Stream Taking Notice, estimated at U.S. $150,000-200,000, provides an incredible insight of big game animals in their natural habitats. This oil on canvas work was meticulous executed by the German-born artist, highlighting his traditional techniques and Impressionist influences.

Rungius immigrated to the United States after a moose hunting trip in Maine with his uncle in 1894. He stayed to pursue his love for the extraordinary landscapes and wildlife of the American West and Canada, making nearly 2,000 oil and pencil sketches over the course of his career.

Another highlight in this sale is William Wendt, one of the most prominent Plein Air painters of Californian landscapes. His work Lupine Patch (1921), estimated at U.S. $120,000-180,000, is believed to be his only known work depicting wild lupine. Lupine Patch is a beautiful example of Wendt’s mastery of his technique capturing the saturated greens of California’s hills.

Wendt’s valuable works have achieved great success at Bonhams in the past. In 2015, his iconic oil painting The Old Coast Road (1916) sold for more than $1.5 million, setting the new auction record for the artist.

Also on the auction block is an elegant composition by Victor William Higgins, Woman Gathering Water in the Placita, estimated at U.S. $120,000-180,000. New Mexico, in particular Taos, was Higgins’ artistic muse — broadening his palette from darker colors to include blues, greens and whites. His depictions of the life and landscape in the region made him one of the leading artists of the American West, as well as an integral part of the Taos Society of Artists.

Other highlights include:

- Edgar Payne (American, 1883-1947), Monument Valley, Riverbed; estimate U.S. $140,000 - 180,000

- Granville Redmond (American, 1871-1935), Hazy Day in Antelope Valley (1932); estimate U.S. $100,000-150,000

- Theodore Wores (American, 1860-1939), Lotus Pond, Shiba, Tokyo (1886); estimate U.S. $100,000-150,000

- John Marshall Gamble (American, 1863-1957), Wildflowers Along the Coast; estimate U.S. $40,000-60,000

Bonhams is California’s largest auction house and the only international auction house to hold sales on the West Coast. The sale is the second in a series of three annual auctions conducted by Bonhams in this increasingly popular collecting category.