Santa Fe Art Auction kicks off the 2024 auction season with its Native Arts sale on February 7 and 8. The annual sale features a diverse array of both contemporary and historic pueblo and tribal artists, offering an impressive collection of Native American jewelry, sculpture, textiles, paintings and pottery. In total, more than 500 lots of 20th- and 21st-century artwork will hit the auction block, with works by leading Native American artists like Tony Abeyta, Fritz Scholder, Charles Loloma, Tony Da, Ramona Sakiestewa and Robert Tenorio, to name just a few.
Helen Cordero (Cochiti, 1915-1994), Pair of Polychrome Figures, ca. 1985, fired clay, pigments, 11¼ x 6 x 4¾ (tallest) Estimate: $8/12,000
These offerings will be complemented by an eclectic range of traditional pueblo pottery, basketry and jewelry.
Among the highlights in the upcoming sale are a pair of polychrome figures sculpted by Cochiti artist Helen Cordero around 1985. The pair features what appear to be Native American children, one of whom holds a doll. Made from fired clay and various pigments, the piece is expected to fetch between $8,000 and $12,000. A Scholder painting from around 1970, Gallup Indian, has a presale estimate of $4,000 to $8,000. The piece, painted with red acrylic paint on blue paper, reveals a sharp contrast between brushwork and surface color.
Fritz Scholder (Luiseño, 1937-2005), Gallup Indian, ca. 1970, red acrylic on blue paper, 23½ x 17½" Estimate: $4/8,000
Zuni Polychrome Jar featuring heartline deer design, ca. 1920, fired clay, pigments, 9½ x 13¾" Estimate: $3/5,000
Additional lots to be on the lookout for include a Two Grey Hills Rug (est. $3/6,000) by Ella Yazzie, a 1946 gouache on paper by Gilbert Benjamin Atencio titled Portrait of Marie + Julian Martinez (est. $2/3,000), and a 1920s Zuni polychrome jar featuring a heartline deer design (est. $3/5,000). Cheyenne artist Ben Nighthorse Campbell’s domed side inlay bracelet, made with sterling silver and set with a menagerie of minerals, has a presale estimate of $800 to $1,500.
Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Cheyenne), Domed Side Inlay Bracelet, jasper, moss agate, turquoise, variscite, Indian agate and sterling silver, 3½" Estimate: $800/1,500
“This auction invokes the deep lineage of Native arts,” notes the auction house, “incorporating both historic and contemporary works that reinforce the pertinence of traditional themes and visual language within the present-day dialogue.”
February 7-8, 2024
Native Arts
Santa Fe Art Auction, 932 Railfan Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505) 954-5858, www.santafeartauction.com
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