Derived from Catholic devotional themes, Alcario Otero’s carved wood figure of “Nuestra Señora del Rosario,” 1999, sold for $7,380. The figure with a silver crown by Juan López is known as a bulto and came from from the Paul Rhetts collection, a well-known scholar on Spanish Colonial art. It had a long exhibition history throughout New Mexico and the Southwestern US.
Review by W.A. Demers
SANTA FE, N.M. — Santa Fe Art Auction’s annual sale dedicated to collectors of New Mexico material culture, presented July 24-25, offered 300 lots that spanned the state’s diversity. Early furniture, paintings, carvings, tin smithing and artifacts that developed from influences of Spain, Mexico and South America from the Sixteenth Century to today were featured. The sale totaled $265,000 with a 90 percent sell-through rate. It has been a staple event at Santa Fe Art Auction for four years, according to Gillian Blitch, the firm’s president and chief executive officer. “The sale was very successful,” said Blitch. I think it really exemplifies the unique diversity and mix of New Mexico culture. There’s nothing quite like it. You’ve got the mix of Spanish Colonial traditions with Pueblo and Native American. It covers all of those and even encompasses the folk art tradition here.”
On day two, Alcario Otero’s (b 1951) carved wood figure of “Nuestra Señora del Rosario,” 1999, sold for $7,380, the sale’s highest price. The figure with gesso, pigments and a silver crown by Juan López is derived from Catholic devotional themes and was inscribed underside base, “Lady of the / Rosario / Alcario / Otero / ‘99.” Measuring 36¼ by 22½ by 9 inches, the figure, known as a bulto, was from the New Mexico collection of Paul Rhetts, a well-known scholar on Spanish Colonial art. It had a long exhibition history, from 1997 to 2002, throughout New Mexico and the Southwest in the exhibit “Our Saints Among Us: 400 Years of New Mexican Devotional Art” and the accompanying publication (1998). Blitch said it is staying local, the figure having been won by a Santa Fe collector.
On day one, Phyllis Kapp’s (b 1930) bold watercolor on handmade paper titled “Our Days in the Sun,” 2012, commanded bidders’ attention, selling at $6,150. An American postwar and contemporary artist, Kapp’s richly colored abstract watercolor paintings present a fauvist view of New Mexico’s landscape. This work measured 38 by 29 inches.
A fauvist view of New Mexico’s landscape, this watercolor on handmade paper titled “Our Days in the Sun,” by Phyllis Kapp, 2012, was bid to $6,150.
A howling “Coyote” fashioned of carved cottonwood, sisal and hide was attributed to Felipe Benito Archuleta (1910-1991), a self-taught genius who grew up poor in New Mexico. Measuring 38¼ by 30 inches, the animal carving with attitude brought $4,613.
New Mexico artist Harold Joe Waldrum (1934-2003), celebrated for his New Modernist architectural style, was represented in the sale by “Sábado de Gloria,” 2000, a slashing red abstract form against a black background. The etching, aquatint, ink on paper was edition 26 of 63. Measuring 16¾ by 16½ inches, it bested its $1,5/2,500 estimate, realizing $3,998.
New Mexican folk art came to the fore on day two with Pedro Antonio Fresquís (1749-1831) and his “Our Lady of Carmen,” circa 1790-1800, eliciting $3,998. Carmen, also known as Saint Theresa of Jesus, was a Spanish Sixteenth Century mystic and religious reformer. Here she was depicted on wood with gesso and natural pigments, measuring 10½ by 6¾ by 7/8 inches. Fresquis, considered to be the first folk artist in New Mexico, is known for figures that are flat, rendered in simple outline and often portrayed with long, narrow noses and oval or crescent-shaped eyes.
A notable furniture lot crossing the block was a New Mexico painted pine trastero, or storage cupboard. The circa 1930 carved and painted pine piece measured 75 by 41 by 16½ inches and left the gallery at $3,690.
A furniture highlight was a New Mexico painted pine trastero, circa 1930, carved pine, measuring 75 by 41 by 16½ inches and selling for $3,690.
Two works by Gene Kloss (1903-1996) found favor, one of them surpassing its estimate. The 1940 drypoint etching, “The Gift Dance,” was a limited edition of 50 and depicted a Native ritual; it was bid to, $3,690. An artist’s proof of “Laguna Pueblo” earned $3,075. Kloss’s real name was Alice Geneva Glasier. She was born in in Oakland, Calif., according to the Medicine Man Gallery. She studied at the California School of Fine Arts from 1924-1925 and began visiting Taos, N.M., in 1925 with her husband, poet and composer, Phillip Kloss. Kloss, well-known for her oils and watercolors, developed an etching form in which she painted acid directly onto the etching plate, allowing for a wide variety of tones and smooth color gradients. Her unique prints were characterized by sharply formed figures backed by halo-like light.
From a private New Mexico collection came Navajo folk artist, Mamie Deschillie’s (1920-2010) “Horse + Bird,” which was estimated $800-$1,200 but did much better, settling at $3,075. The work on cardboard measured 22½ by 25¼ inches.
Catalog notes described Frank G. Applegate (1881-1931) as having partnered with writer Mary Austin to form the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, where they organized an annual market that still takes place today. No one knows when when Applegate began carving his own santos or religious figures, but he was considered the first Anglo “romantic revival” santero.
His carving of San Cayetano, a Sixteenth Century saint, which was completed circa 1923-24, measured 15-7/8 by 6-1/8 by 4¾ inches and rose to $3,075.
Fetching $2,768 was “Our Lady of Guadalupe with the Four Apparitions,” a Nineteenth Century devotional work on painted tin. The image depicts the Virgin’s three appearances to Juan Diego at Tepeyac, near Mexico City, and culminates in the revelation of her image imprinted on his cloak.
Nineteenth Century Mexico contributed “Our Lady of Guadalupe with the Four Apparitions,” a devotional work using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art on painted tin. The image depicts the Virgin’s three appearances to Juan Diego at Tepeyac Hill, near Mexico City, and culminates in the revelation of her image imprinted on his cloak. The 13-1/8-by-11-inch painting was estimated $600/900 but beat that expectation, taking $2,768.
A carved wooden saint by self-taught woodcarver Patrociño Barela (1900-1964) took $2,768. The first Mexican-American artist to receive national recognition, Barela’s work was shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City with other artists of the Federal Art Project, a New Deal program.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. Next up is the firm’s annual Native American sale, August 13-14, timed to coincide with the Santa Fe Indian Market. For information, 505-954-5858 or www.santafeartauction.com.
