Los Angeles – On April 30 in Los Angeles, Bonhams’ Modern Native American Art and Jewelry sale will feature an impressive selection of works by established as well as up-and-coming Indigenous artists such as Fritz Scholder, Oscar Howe, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Charles Loloma, Rose Simpson, Rhonda Holy Bear, John Nieto, and Jesse Monongya. The sale will be highlighted by several works from Luiseño painter and colorist, Fritz Scholder (1937-2005) including Dartmouth Portrait #3, 1973, estimated at $100,000 – 150,000. Painted while an artist-in-residence at Dartmouth College, the oil painting of an Indigenous man against a bold red background was one in a series which brought Scholder to the attention of the wider art world.
The sale will also present a fresh to market painting, Sioux Bear Dancer, circa 1954, by Oscar Howe(Yanktonai Dakota, 1915-1983), an incredibly influential figure in contemporary Native American art, estimated at $80,000 – 120,000. Howe was known for challenging the art establishment’s preconceptions and definitions of Native American painting with work that was simultaneously modern and embedded in traditional Dakota culture and aesthetics. An untitled pastel drawing from another groundbreaking artist, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (b. 1940), is an additional highlight of the sale, estimated at $20,000 – 40,000.
Additional highlights include:
- A mosaic cuff bracelet circa 1985 by Charles Loloma (1921-1991), a highly influential Hopi jeweler and artist, is estimated at $50,000 – 80,000. Loloma is known for popularizing the use of gold and gemstones in Hopi jewelry.
- From a Private New York City Collection, Touches the Sky, 1998 by John Nieto (1936-2018) is estimated at $20,000 – 40,000. The vibrant work is an example of Nieto’s mastery of composition and color.
- A Pueblo-style gold and coral necklace with gold dragonfly crosses interspersed circa 1998by Jesse Monongya (b. 1952) is estimated at $12,000 – 18,000. A master Navajo/Hopi jewelry designer, Monongya is best known for the night-sky designs he places within a bear shape and other forms and the inspiration he takes from dramatic southwestern landscapes.
