Spirited bidding won the day for Dorothy Brett’s “Indian Women Watching Horse Race,” 1927, which soared to $43,050, the second highest selling work overall and more than twice its high estimate. The oil on board was inscribed verso “Taos New Mexico / Brett / 1927” and measured 17-5/8 by 21-3/8 inches excluding its frame.
Review by W.A. Demers
SANTA FE, N.M. — Santa Fe Art Auction’s 30th Anniversary Signature live sale saw robust bidding activity on the 450 lots offered and landed total sales of almost $2.5 million, with a sell-through rate of 95 percent. The firm reported it had a full house of floor bidders.
Session one was conducted on November 8 and offerings included a selection of Gene Kloss artist proofs and drawings, followed by highlights from Gustave Baumann and Edward Curtis, along with works on paper, multiples and jewelry by many important Native and Southwest artists of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries.
Session two, conducted on the morning of November 9, included a selection of Native pottery, textiles and basketry, with a standout collection of Western paintings and bronzes by the Cowboy Artists of America from the Patsy P. and William L. Hutchison collection. Santa Fe Art Auction’s sale culminated with a presentation of select works from the Gregory Warren Nelson collection in session three.
Edward Curtis’ “Canyon de Chelly — Navajo,” 1904, orotone on glass, measuring 10¼ by 13-3/8 inches, sold on the third day for $24,600, more than two times its high estimate.
Session three on Saturday afternoon saw spirited bidding on remarkable pieces that were brought to auction, many for the first time. Dorothy Brett’s (1883-1977) “Indian Women Watching Horse Race,” 1927, soared off the block for $43,050, more than twice its high estimate, making it the second highest selling work overall. The oil on board was inscribed verso “Taos New Mexico / Brett / 1927” and measured 17-5/8 by 21-3/8 inches (without the frame). The work’s provenance listed Robert L. Parsons Fine Art, and the Gregory Warren Nelson collection, both of New Mexico. Catalog notes explained that Brett painted this scene while living at the D.H. Lawrence Ranch in 1927. The scene typifies the communal life and ceremonial events of the Native people, who prized horse races for entertainment and for their spiritual vibrancy.
Additional highlights included works by contemporary Western master Billy Schenck (b 1947) as well as Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Quincy Tahoma, Howard Cook, Alan Houser and William Penhallow Henderson. Schenck’s “Klagetoh Canyon,” 2011, which depicted a woman on horseback herding a flock of sheep through the rugged Southwestern landscape at sunset, beat its high estimate and settled at $33,825. The oil on canvas exhibited warm hues of the setting sun, which bathed the canyon and the towering red rock formations in a golden light. Schenck combines Pop Art sensibility with a deep reverence for traditional Western imagery, and that lends a fresh perspective on classic themes.
Pop Art sensibility, with a deep reverence for traditional Western imagery, imbued Billy Schenck’s “Klagetoh Canyon,” 2011, with warm hues of the setting sun. The oil on canvas depicted a woman on horseback herding a flock of sheep through the rugged Southwestern landscape at sunset. It sold for $33,825.
Gustave Baumann (1881-1971) is a perennial favorite in Santa Fe Art Auction sales. And here, his “Mountain Gold” 1926, figuratively brought it, as the painting ignored its $8/12,000 estimate to finish at $30,750. The color woodcut, edition 63 of 125, came out of a private New Mexico collection.
An untitled 1984 mixed media on paper work by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (French-Cree/Shoshone/Salish, b 1940) surpassed its high estimate and was bid to $33,825. Measuring 29-7/8 by 22-1/8 inches, it was inscribed lower left, “For Retha and Steve with Love & admiration,” and signed and dated lower right, “Jaune Smith ‘84.” It came from the Retha Walden Gambaro Studio and collection with additional provenance to two other private collections.
Catharine Carter Critcher’s (1868-1964) “Self Portrait” oil on canvas nearly doubled its high estimate, realizing $30,750. Critcher was the only woman member among the Taos Society of Artists, according to catalog notes. That she is included in the male-dominated group — which counted Bert Phillips, Ernest Blumenschein, E.I Couse and Joseph Henry Sharp — attests to her superb talent and underscores her pioneering role in a time when opportunities for women artists were often limited. Critcher started her career with portraiture, becoming well-established on the East Coast. This self-portrait, likely painted around 1900, according to the catalog, depicts the artist in her early 30s, holding a paintbrush and meeting the viewer’s gaze. It was created before the artist visited Taos for the first time in 1920.
Catharine Carter Critcher, the only woman member among the Taos Society of Artists, likely painted this self-portrait around 1900, when she was in her early 30s and before she visited Taos for the first time in 1920. Here, she holds a paintbrush and meets the viewer’s gaze. The oil on canvas nearly doubled its high estimate, realizing $30,750.
Fetching $30,750 was a 24-by-40¼-inch oil on canvas, “Prismatic Night #1” by Howard Norton Cook (1901-1980). In the 1951 painting, the artist represented New York City with a spiky energy, “which exemplifies Cook’s fascination with urban architecture and the constant motion of the metropolis. Born in Springfield, Mass., Cook moved to New York in 1919 to study at the Art Students League, and the city’s ever-changing skyline had a significant role in his artistic development,” according to the auction catalog. In this painting, Cook rendered the city’s towering skyscrapers in angular, geometric forms and the prismatic colors speak to the city’s vibrancy and rhythm at night.
Important photography in the sale included Edward Curtis’ (1868-1952) “Canyon de Chelly — Navajo,” 1904, an orotone on glass measuring 10¼ by 13-3/8 inches. It sold on the third day for $24,600, more than two times its high estimate.
A quintessential Western roundup painting by Quincy Tahoma (Diné [Navajo], 1920-1956), “The Last Roundup,” 1942, gouache on paper, surpassed its high estimate to earn $22,140. The dynamic scene had wild horses with nostrils flared, seemingly galloping akimbo, while two riders flanked the herd, driving them on.
Quincy Tahoma’s (Diné [Navajo], 1920-1956), “The Last Roundup,” 1942, a gouache on paper, was a quintessential Western roundup scene, surpassing its high estimate to earn $22,140.
More calming and with autumnal colors and a burbling stream was William Cather Hook’s (b 1948) “Aspen Stream,” an acrylic on canvas measuring 23½ by 23½ inches. Bidders liked it and took it to $14,760, a more than threefold improvement over its high estimate. It was from the Patsy P. and William L. Hutchison collection and was deemed in very good condition.
“Taos Pueblo Church #2,” circa 1917, by William Penhallow Henderson (1877-1943) more than doubled its high estimate and crossed the block at $14,760. The pastel on paper, 4¾ by 6¼ inches, came from the Owings Gallery, Santa Fe, N.M., 2011, and was previously in the Gregory Warren Nelson collection, New Mexico.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. For information, 505-954-5858 or www.santafeartauction.com.
