Up for auction are paintings by three generations of Native American painters from the same family, all of which became well-known artists within their own right. From mother, to granddaughter, this is an extremely rare opportunity to purchase a lot of three paintings representing a unique artistic legacy that began with Pablita Velarde. Details about artists, paintings, and values below.
Pablita Velarde: Tablita Dancer, Earth Pigment. Value: $8,500
Pablita Velarde (1918 – 2006) was a renowned Santa Clara Pueblo artist and one of the most accomplished Native American painters of her generation. She prepared paints from natural pigments obtained from minerals and rocks using a process similar to fresco secco. She used these paints to produce what she called “earth paintings.” Velarde’s work is exhibited in public and private collections including the Bandelier National Monument Museum, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, the Avery Collection at the Arizona State Museum, the Ruth and Charles Elkus Collection of Native American Art, and in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She was the first woman to receive the Grand Purchase Award at the Philbrook Museum of Art’s Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Painting. In 1954, the French government honored Velarde and eleven other Native American artists and craftsman with the Palmes Académiques for excellence in art. This was the first foreign honors paid to Native American artists. This piece measures 13″ x 11.”
Helen Hardin: Fishing is Fine, Acrylic Painting. Value: $7,500
Helen Hardin (1943 – 1984) (Tewa name: Tsa-sah-wee-eh, which means “Little Standing Spruce”) was a Native American painter, and daughter of renowned Santa Clara Pueblo artist Pablita Velarde. She started making and selling paintings, participated in University of Arizona’s Southwest Indian Art Project and was featured in Seventeen magazine, all before she was 18 years of age. Creating art was a means of spiritual expression that developed from her Roman Catholic upbringing and Native American heritage. She created contemporary works of art with geometric patterns based upon Native American symbols and motifs, like corn, katsinas, and chiefs. In 1976 she was featured in the PBS American Indian artists series. She received honors for her work at the Heard Museum, Scottsdale National Indian Arts Exhibition, Philbrook Art Center, the Inter-Tribal Ceremonial at Gallup, New Mexico, and the Santa Fe Indian Market where she won “Best of Show,” first prize, and grand awards. She died of breast cancer in 1984 at the young age of 41. This piece measures 5″ x 7.5″
Margarete Bagshaw: Relative, Oil Painting. Value: $7,500
Margarete Bagshaw (1964 – 2015) was the daughter of Native American artist Helen Hardin, and granddaughter of renowned Santa Clara Pueblo artist Pablita Velarde. She took part in over a dozen major museum exhibitions, including theEiteljorge Museum Of American and Western Art in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Hamden Museum in Virginia, and numerous invitational shows with the Museum of Albuquerque, New Mexico. As the subject of a documentary film project, Bagshaw spoke at the dedication ceremony for the donation of “The White Collection” (which featured many of her works) at the Lakeview Museum in Illinois in September 2008. She died of brain cancer at the early age of 50. This piece measures 8″ x 14.”
Generously donated by: Golden Dawn Gallery and Dan McGuiness & MK Song