November 4-5, 2022 | Santa Fe NM

The Big One

An expanding Santa Fe Art Auction turns its attention to its major November sale in New Mexico.

The Santa Fe Art Auction has grown consistently in recent years, first by moving into a new state-of-the-art facility and then adding sales throughout the calendar year. What was once a one- or two-sale auction house has now turned into a full-service art destination with a dozen sales a year, a rotating exhibition of auction previews on view to the public and fascinating programing during auction weeks.

David Bradley (Chippewa), Scene from a Western Movie, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40” Estimate: $8/12,000

But even as Santa Fe Art Auction grows, its roots lie in November's Live Signature Sale, its largest and most popular event. This year’s sale will take place on November 4 and 5 at the auction house’s 16,000-square-foot showroom in the heart of Santa Fe’s burgeoning Baca Railyard District. A staple of the Western art circuit for nearly 30 years, this edition will surely not disappoint with several important private collections as well as classic pieces from artists such as Charles Loloma, Fritz Scholder and Dan Namingha.

Roxanne Swentzell (Santa Clara Pueblo), Sale (Koshare), 1995, fired clay, glazes, 10 x 11 x 9½” Estimate: $6/9,000

“We are now regularly offering 10 to 12 sales per year, from such diverse categories as Native American art, contemporary art and design, prints and multiples, Spanish Colonial and historic and contemporary Western art,” says Gillian Blitch, President and CEO of the auction house. “But our November sale brings in the best of all these categories. It is one of two annual signature sales that is live in the room and includes our renowned print catalog.”

Apache Polychrome Olla, ca. 1910-20, 18 x 20½" Estimate: $40/60,000

Some of the key lots consigned to the sale include a stunning Apache polychrome olla from around 1910 to 1920, estimated at $40,000 to $60,000, and the 1995 Roxanne Swentzell sculpture Sale (Koshare), estimated at $6,000 to $9,000. The Swentzel piece will be joining a number of other works from the Georgia and Charles Loloma Collection, the bulk of which was sold in June at the Santa Fe Art Auction. Works by Loloma include an untitled abstract colored pencil work on paper (est. $2/4,000) and a turquoise, coral, lapis and gold bracelet estimated at $65,000 to $95,000. The bracelet has never been worn and has been in a single collection for the last 40 years.

Charles Loloma (Hopi, 1921-1991), turquoise, coral, lapis, gold and mixed stone inlay cuff, 14k gold Estimate: $65/95,000

Tony Abeyta (Navajo), At the Mouth of the River, 2017, oil on canvas, 16 x 16" Estimate: $8/12,000

Paintings will have a strong presence at the November sale with great examples from several iconic Native American artists, including David Bradley’s Scene from a Western Movie (est. $8/12,000), Earl Biss’ Yellowstone (est. $20/25,000) and Tony Abeyta’s At the Mouth of the River (est. $8/12,000).

Fritz Scholder (Luiseno, 1937-2005), Diogenes, bronze, ed. 12 of 12, 30 x 14½ x 9½” Estimate: $3,500/5,500

The sale will also offer a Fritz Scholder bronze work, Diogenes (est. $3,500/5,500), and a rare collection of historic pueblo pottery, including fine examples of 19th-century pottery from the CJ Wallace Collection and a large collection of Edward Curtis photogravures from the Oklahoma collection of Daniel Brackett. Other artists represented in the sale are Jaune-Quick-to-See-Smith, John Nieto, Kevin Red Star, T.C. Cannon and Nocona Burgess.

Earl Biss (Crow, 1947-1998), Yellowstone, oil on canvas, 48 x 66" Estimate: $20/25,000

“People have been coming to our November sale for years,” says Blitch. “It is a much-anticipated event and we will include activities throughout the weekend. We will host a reception and a lecture on Friday, November 4, and the live sale is Saturday, November 5. As our frequent guests will attest to, there is no prettier place to be then Santa Fe in the heart of its fall season.”

Charles Loloma (Hopi, 1921-1992), Untitled (Abstraction), colored pencil on paper, 11¼ x 15" Estimate: $2/4,000