The Russell: the Auction to Benefit the C.M. Russell Museum boasted 220 lots on the auction block, with preliminary estimates indicating the sale raised just over $3.1 million Saturday, a total slightly above last year's. From March 14 to 16, a silent auction, Art in Action quick draw and live auction brought about $3.6 million, according to estimates.

C.M. Russell's watercolor, “High, Wide, and Handsome,” fetched $550,000, at the low end of estimates, but a strong price for the famed Western artist.

The annual auction benefits the C.M. Russell Museum, in Great Falls, Montana, helping to raise funds for operation, projects and outreach as the museum’s major fundraiser.

Another highlight of sale was a work by contemporary artist R. Tom Gilleon whose 50-by-50 inch painting, “Hair Apparent,” brought $225,000, the highest price for the artist's work.