The New West
Traditional and modernist views of the Southwest available to bidders at the Santa Fe Art Auction
Traditional and modernist views of the Southwest available to bidders at the Santa Fe Art Auction
November 10, 1:30 p.m.
Santa Fe Art Auction 1011 Paseo de Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501 t: (505) 954-5858 www.santafeartauction.com
History is mostly just time. And with time comes a deeper layering of narratives. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, a city that has roots that reach back 1,100 years, those layers include Pueblo Indians, Spanish conquerors, European traders, cowboys, mountain men, railroad tycoons, immigrant settlers and plenty of artists—and that’s just scratching the surface.
All this history, in painted form, will make its way to the Santa Fe Art Auction on November 10, when more than 200 lots featuring every facet of the American West, particularly New Mexico and its famous Southwestern destinations, will be available to bidders.this year’s sale also marks a milestone as the auction celebrates its 25th annual sale.
“I’m always excited to see which treasures present themselves in the course of these sales,” says auction codirector Gillian Blitch.“here we are the deadline of the catalog, and we’re still having things pour in at the 11th hour. There’s been some softening of the market in recent years, but I’m really excited for the sale and the market this year.we have a good sale lined up.” Blitch says that the auction house, which has added a contingent of regular online shows, is seeing a high volume of materials come through. “The interest has been great and collectors have been lively,” she says. “For many there’s been a renewed interest in collecting. Some of it relates to the classic New Mexico imagery, others are related to the modernist work that regularly appears in the Santa Fe Art Auction. Some of it is the prices—this is a sale that is very accessible to mid-level collectors, who are key in the economy of Southwest art.”
Works in the sale include Thomas Hart Benton’s small oil on tin Study for Desert Still Life (est. $100/150,000), Willard Nash’s oil Landscape with Reservoir (est. $35/45,000), and Henriette Wyeth’s oil C-shell (est. $15/25,000). Another interesting work is Leon Gaspard’s Russian Musicians, a pastel work on paper mounted on board.the painting, expected to sell for $125,000 to $175,000, is designed to look like a triptych, but is actually painted on one surface with small wooden dividers that are laid on top of
the board to give the illusion of three separate works.
One of the top lots in this year’s sale is expected to be Joseph Henry Sharp’s oil Hunting Son and Eagle Star, a work that shows two Native American figures in blankets sitting against a wall.the work is estimated at $350,000 to $500,000.The piece was last at auction under the title Morning Conversation in 2007, when it sold for $756,000.
“With this piece the color and the size of those figures… it’s really Sharp at his best.the whole painting is just magnificent to behold,” says Blitch. “it’s a strong and powerful piece, and from a very distinct private collection here in New Mexico.”
Other works from Taos include Sharp’s fellow Taos Society of Artists member E. Martin Hennings, whose Taos Indian Maiden (est. $80/120,000) will be offered, as well as Transcendental Painting Group member Emil Bisttram, whose 1974 work Rancho de Taos Church (est. $30/50,000) will be available.the religious subject of his painting is one of the most famous churches in the Southwest, if not the entire country, and was and still today painted continuously by artists who are drawn to its modernist shapes and ramped walls.
“For the Hennings, compositionally it’s marvelous.you can really see the mastery of the artist. It’s so easy to say, ‘isn’t she an attractive maiden,’ but when you really start to analyze the work you can see it was done by a master. It was very dirty when we received it, so we had it cleaned and we quickly realized some of those stripes in the blanket are almost pink. She has this very dignified expression,” Blitch says of Taos Indian Maiden, which was given to the artist’s sister and passed down through her family.“for the Bisttram, this was done in 1974, just a couple years before his death, so it’s a very late-career painting. You can see the sophistication and the confidence in this nocturne—it is the work of a very mature artist. His use of color and detail are not unusual for Bisttram at this stage in his career. He really explored so much in his lifetime. In addition to this one, we also have two marvelous watercolors from his very abstract period.”
The sale will also be offering a
Gerard Curtis Delano work, Canyon Trail, estimated at $100,000 to $150,000. The work was acquired by the current owner’s father, who received the work directly from the artist. It’s been in the family ever since.“with this burro, figure and canyon, it’s as classic as Southwestern scenes get,” Blitch says. Other works include pieces by Eliseo Rodriguez, Carlosvierra and a number of Native American artifacts, including a Zuni olla from around 1900.
One of the more curious pieces is Natalie Curtis Burlin’s King’s River Canyon, Sierra Nevada, a masterful landscape measuring 60 inches wide. The detail and color of the work would suggest Hudson River School, but the name Burlin might not ring familiar to many collectors. Even if it does sound familiar, many would mix it up with Paul Burlin, Natalie’s artist husband. Natalie was a prominent ethnomusicologist who is mostly known today for her recordings of Native American tribes and her study of African-american music.
“It’s a remarkable piece at 5 feet wide. It has the skill and substance of an Albert Bierstadt, yet it’s signed Burlin and we have it attributed to Natalie Curtis Burlin. Paul Burlin’s work was more modern and impressionistic, so we don’t think he painted it,” Blitch says.“how did she find the time, let alone the skill, to paint this? It’s no mere plein air sketch—it’s a fully realized work. It’s something of a conundrum for us.”
Other works include John Falter’s Eastern Dudes, showing several men fixing an early automobile in a desert scene, expected to sell for $20,000 to $40,000; and Allan Houser’s stone work Pueblo Woman, estimated at $25,000 to $40,000.