We help consignors sell original fine art, unique items and antique and handmade furniture, and assist collectors in adding beautiful treasures to their collections. Our mission is to assemble and conduct live and online auctions of fine art and other unique, one-of-a-kind items for the greater Flathead Valley area and Western Montana. We rely on the principals' combined experience of 60+ years in
the art business, particularly in the Western art market, to give realistic values, maintain high standards to help buyers find treasures, and realize the best price possible for our valued consignors. Whitefish Auctions is the final iteration of over 10 years of art shows, auctions, successes and challenges. In 2011 Steve and Morgan Cawdrey took over organization of the art show at the Best Western Heritage Inn in Great Falls, MT during Western Art Week, a famous show with 40 years of history, over a hundred artists and thousands of collectors and attendees which they rebranded as the Western Masters Art Show & Sale (WMASS). They ran art auctions of contemporary Western work for four years, generating over a million dollars of total sales and facilitating artists sales of millions more. They then took the show on the road with the Heart of the West Art Shows in Coeur d'Alene and Bozeman in 2016 and 2017. In 2019, with the explosive growth of Whitefish, MT and the Flathead Valley, it seemed time to bring the show home to where the Cawdreys live and work. The Summer ArtFest at Whitefish was born, bringing 30+ artists to town for demonstrations, a Quick Finish and a live auction, with part of the proceeds going to a scholarship fund for local arts-focused students administered by the Whitefish Community Foundation. The auction sold every lot and it was clear that Whitefish was ready for a fine and decorative art auction house. Summer ArtFest continues to build on that success, and it made sense to add a few more auctions to the yearly calendar, including an upcoming sale at the Home Design & Consign store, which has a large inventory of original paintings and sculptures. Whitefish Auctions will accept only high-quality, unique or otherwise special consignments from the primary and secondary markets.
