Santa Fe, NM Peters Projects, November 9-11
This story was featured in the November 2018 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art November 2018 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
Over the past quarter-century, the annual Santa Fe Art Auction has established a reputation for unsurpassed quality in western art. Credit that to the vision of respected gallerist Gerald Peters, who first launched the event as a natural outgrowth of his eponymous downtown Santa Fe gallery, itself now 46 years old. “Gerry sees our long, deep history of curating and caring for art of the Southwest—our scholarship—as what differentiates us,” says Gillian Blitch, one of the event’s two directors along with Jenna Kloeppel. “We may not be the largest auction of this kind, but we have the highest quality.”
Blitch eagerly cites examples of that quality from among the more than 200 lots included in this year’s event. One highlight is the oil TAOS indian MAIDEN by Ernest Martin Hennings, a member of the Taos Society of Artists. Originally given by him to his sister and held in the family ever since, it has never before been seen in public and is estimated to sell for between $80,000 and $120,000. Similarly, CANYON TRAIL ($100,000-$150,000), by painter and illustrator Gerard Curtis Delano, was bought directly from him by a collector more than 70 years ago and, says Blitch, “is completely fresh to the market.”
Two more works of particular note are the large-scale KING’S RIVER CANYON, SIERRA NEVADA ($15,000-$25,000), a rare, beautifully detailed scene by ethnomusicologist Natalie Curtis Burlin, painted just a few years before her death in 1921. Blitch also enthusiastically mentions the “perfectly and exquisitely executed” oil-on-tin STUDY FOR DESERT STILL LIFE ($100,000-$150,000) by the great American regionalist Thomas Hart Benton. “It looks as if he painted it yesterday,” she adds.
Works by today’s leading western artists and American realists include William Acheff’s still life SEASONS HARVEST ($12,000-$18,000) and Richard Schmid’s WHITE AZALEAS ($60,000-$90,000). And the offerings also encompass museum-worthy examples of Native American crafts, such as a red storage jar ($8,000-$12,000) by Serafina Tafoya, one of the renowned early Santa Clara Pueblo potters, and a Zuni olla ($15,000-$20,000) from around 1900.
It all adds up to a museum-worthy display, and art lovers can enjoy it regardless of whether they plan to buy (though those hoping to bid should preregister in person or online). Many pieces will be displayed in advance at the Santa Fe Art Auction offices at 927 Paseo de Peralta. Auction weekend events all take place at Peters Projects at 1011 Paseo de Peralta, with a full public preview on Friday, November 9, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Viewing continues on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The live auction itself begins at 1:30 p.m. and is expected to last about three hours. On Sunday morning, buyers can pick up their purchases; unsold lots remain on view and for sale at Peters Projects for two more weeks before moving back to the auction’s nearby offices for another 90 days.
That’s not to say that many works are likely to remain unsold in an auction expected to bring in about $3 million. “At the Santa Fe Art Auction,” says Blitch, “we know and recognize the small jewels and little treasures that our clients look for.” —Norman Kolpas
contact information505.954.5858www.santafeartauction.com
This story was featured in the November 2018 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art November 2018 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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