HoustonChronicle.com - Paintings of dogs playing poker net big bucks

HoustonChronicle.com - Paintings of dogs playing poker net big bucks These paintings take a bow, wow! Artworks of dogs playing poker net unexpected riches By EYDER PERALTA In Houston, the big art news of the week was that Caroline Wiess Law gifted a big chunk of change (some $450 million) to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. That and the news that the Dallas Museum of Art has received about $400 million in cash gifts and art bequests. But the news that a couple of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge's paintings of dogs playing poker sold for more than half a million dollars had Alan Fausel's phone burning with calls. Fausel is the director of paintings for Doyle New York, the auction house that sold the art works, and he's been taking calls from eager strangers who own a poster or an ashtray with Coolidge's iconic images. The callers are asking if their Coolidges might be worth as much. "These are very important images to American popular culture," Fausel said. The images are simple: A Bold Bluff features five canines sitting around a table, heavily involved in a game of poker. A St. Bernard stares down the table, knowing he's got a losing hand. Waterloo shows the resolution — the St. Bernard happily collecting his chips, while the other pooches react with disappointment or anger at the loss. The two paintings weren't expected to bring in more than $200,000. And the initial estimate ($35,000) was set low to spur interest, Fausel added. The final price was an unexpected $590,400. This was a surprising price considering this type of art isn't highly regarded. In fact, the paintings (16 in all) were completed while Coolidge was employed by Brown and Bigelow, an advertising company. It was a path well worn by such artist/illustrators as James Montgomery Flagg and Norman Rockwell. Brown and Bigelow went on to mass-distribute the images, which now can be found everywhere. Online at art.com, a 16 inch by 12 inch print of A Bold Bluff goes for $8.99. At newtscards.com, a tapestry throw goes for $500. And respree.com offers a "museum-quality replica" for a cool $11.66. "I don't know if I can ever reproduce these kinds of results," Fausel said. Doyle New York sold the paintings as part of its annual Dogs in Art auction, which coincides with the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. But Fausel said this time around it wasn't the dog lovers buying the paintings. "It was more the Wall Street-type bidding," he said, citing a reaction to the sudden popularity of poker on television.