Maynard Dixon - Southwest Artist - "Wild Horses of Nevada"

Maynard Dixon
Wild Horses of Nevada, 1927
Oil on canvas
44 x 50 inches
NOT FOR SALE

This important painting by Maynard Dixon has been prominently featured in numerous Museum exhibitions over the years, and was used as the cover image for the essential book, “Desert Dreams – The Art and Life of Maynard Dixon”. This comprehensive publication was written by Donald J. Hagerty and is the product of 15 years of intensive research. The painting is owned by the William A. Karges Family Trust and is not for sale at this time.

“Wild Horses of Nevada” was painted in 1927, during a period when he experimented with the concept of non-objective art and began exploring ideas and techniques related to the more progressive art movement now referred to as “Modernism”. He was aware of European art styles including Cubism, Futurism and Surrealism and his western landscapes began to incorporate broad, clean areas of color, sharp definition of edges, subtle gradations of hues, and the use of nearly monochromatic earth tones. This painting is an excellent example of his increasingly simplified, two-dimensional compositions that included cubist-realist influences.

It is likely that this painting was one of fifty-six works painted during a very productive time in Maynard Dixon's career, during a four month trip through Nevada that began in October 1927.

“Wild Horses of Nevada” has been included in a large and diverse group of noteworthy exhibitions in respected Museums across the United States. Below is a partial list of prominent institutions that have coordinated these shows with themes ranging from the American West to the Role of Horses in the History of the country.

As noted by Donald Hagerty in “Desert Dreams”; “In this large painting, Maynard applied cubist-realist principles to the desert's reality, a scaffold for the angular forms. The painting's unusual angle of vision, a bird's-eye perspective, shows a group of wild horses thundering across an alkaline flat. He composed the canvas with a thoughtful and bold use of pattern, expressive but modest distortion of form, a clean surface unencumbered with unnecessary detail, and a limited color scope massed in large areas”.

2010 The Art Museum at the University of Kentucky staged an exhibition on The Horse in American Art that coincided with the World Equestrian Games that year.

1993 Included in a traveling exhibition organized by Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of New Mexico in conjunction with the release of the Book “Desert Dreams – The Art and Life of Maynard Dixon”.

1994, “Desert Dreams: The Art of Maynard Dixon” at the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Griffith Park. 2007 "Dixon's West", Pasadena Museum of California Art featured 106 of Maynard Dixon's paintings and drawings 2007 - 2008 Figge Art Museum "Go West!", Davenport, Iowa

2014 Crocker Museum of Art, Sacramento, California

The museum noted that “Horses have played a crucial role in building the United States. They have carried generals into battle, forged the trail of westward expansion, hustled for cowboys, and sprinted under jockeys for cheering fans. As such, horses became a meaningful part of American cultural identity symbolising heroism, wildness, hard work, and prosperity," The exhibition, entitled Hoofbeats and Heartbeats, was the first significant exhibition to critically examine the role of the horse in American art, history and culture.
2012 Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa "The American West as Myth: Art from the Figge and Private Collections"
2013 National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
2015 Annual “Maynard Dixon Country” art gathering at the famed artist’s historic home and studio in Mt. Carmel, Utah
2016 Nevada Museum of Art 2019-2020 "Maynard Dixon's American West" at the Scottsdale Museum of the West, described as "the most comprehensive retrospective ever showcasing Maynard Dixon’s life and artistic career."

2021 Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, California

2020-2021 "Borein and Friends" at the Santa Barbara Historical Society

“Monterey Places” Exhibit at the Monterey Museum of Art

An outstanding group of paintings is currently on display through August 29^th, 2016 at the Monterey Museum of Art, Pacific Street. “Monterey Places” presents works from the permanent collection that focus on the beauty and history of Monterey County. The exhibit features early California paintings by influential artists including M. Evelyn McCormick, Charles Rollo Peters, and Armin Hansen, as well as contemporary works by Johnny Apodaca and Andrea Johnson.

Click here to learn more about the exhibit and view some of the works online.

The exhibit also includes a web-based interactive virtual gallery where visitors can “explore and engage with the paintings, and learn more about the specific locations, local histories, and the artists who created them”.

Click here to see the interactive gallery now and discover the paintings and places featured in this fascinating exhibit. 

This is a great opportunity to get personally involved with the artworks on display and to discover, learn, and interact! Visitors to the various current exhibitions are encouraged to write down and share their reactions and thoughts about works on display. There are short films to watch, large-screen slide show presentations, tours given by their enthusiastic, energetic, and well-educated docents, lectures, and even stations set up where you can create your own artworks. It's nice to be reminded that visiting a museum is supposed to be fun, entertaining, inspiring, educational, and exciting! Charlotte Eyerman, hired as the Director in 2013, has been doing a spectacular job of moving the museum boldly forward into the 21^st century, and the staff has been extremely successful at engaging, entertaining, and educating visitors using a combination of technology, creative ideas, and social media.

The Monterey Museum of art is located at 559 Pacific Street, Monterey, CA (831) 372-5477. For additional information and hours, visit their website www.montereyart.org

Current Exhibitions at the Laguna Art Museum

Special note to our readers: The Laguna Art Museum has generously offered to provide two free pairs of day passes to their wonderful facility to the first and second readers who post their comments below.  We’ll contact those readers directly to request their mailing addresses so that the passes can be sent to them by the Museum.

Early California Art collectors and admirers won’t want to miss seeing the current exhibitions on display through October 7th, 2012 at the Laguna Art Museum:

Clarence Hinkle - photo credit: Laguna Art Museum

The first exhibit is a retrospective of the work of 20^th century artist Clarence Hinkle, whose student, Millard Sheets, became one of the best known watercolorists in the Early California Art genre. To view additional examples of this artist’s work, click here  And, check out photographs of the exhibit of the museum's Flickr page here.

Modern Spirit - photo credit: Laguna Art Museum

The next exhibit not to be missed is titled “Modern Spirit and the Group of Eight”, which provides a fresh perspective on the art and culture of the 1920s in Los Angeles. Paintings by Mabel Alvarez, Clarence Hinkle, Henri De Kruif, JohnHubbard Rich, Donna Schuster, E. Roscoe Shrader, Edouard Vysekal, and Luvena Buchanan Vysekal provide a pictorial description of the Modernist Realist trend that was popular during that period in history.







Click here  to view a very informative group of videos on the Laguna Art Museum’s YouTube channel about this exciting display of paintings.

Also currently on display, continuing through October 28th, 2012, is “Abstract Classicists”, a group of paintings from the museum’s permanent collection. The featured artists include Karl Benjamin, Lorser Feitelson, Frederick Hammersly, John McLaughlin, Florence Arnold and Helen Lundeberg.

For additional information, directions, and hours, the museum’s full website can be found at www.lagunaartmuseum.org.  Their address is 307 Cliff Drive Laguna Beach, CA 92651, telephone: (949) 494-8971.

"Edgar Payne - The Scenic Journey" Exhibit at the Crocker Art Museum

Of special interest to collectors and students of the history of Early California painting is the new exhibit at the Crocker Art Museum, “Edgar Payne – The Scenic Journey”.  The show is a comprehensive exhibit of paintings by one of the most famous and distinguished artists of the Early California art genre. 

The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento was established in 1885, and unveiled a 125,000 square foot addition in October of 2010.  The museum includes one of the premier permanent collections of Early California paintings in the state, and is the perfect venue for this exhibition of over 80 works by this important California impressionist.

Patrick Kraft, Director of William A. Karges Fine Art in Carmel, California, attended the opening reception for the Exhibit.  He said that “Curator Scott Shields did a first class job. The paintings were beautifully presented, and there was a strong turnout of serious collectors, art dealers, and authors.  The 1910 Model T Ford was a nice touch, as was the movie of Payne hiking and painting in the Sierras.  It was a large and impressive collection of Paynes from his primary subject matters, the Sierras, the Southwest, boat scenes, and seascapes.”

California Coast - SOLD

The exhibit was curated by the Crocker’s Chief Curator and Associate Director, Scott A. Shields, Ph.D, and organized by the Pasadena Museum of California Art.  Shields describes Payne’s works as “imbued with an internal force and active dynamism achieved through majestic, vital landscape subjects”. 

Edgar Payne (1883 – 1947) is probably best known for his impressionist plein air landscapes of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

"Sierra Slopes - Heart Lake" - SOLD

He also traveled the world extensively and painted scenes in many other locations, including the French and Swiss Alps, as well as fishing scenes in Italy and France. 

Swiss Scene - SOLD

Knowledgeable collectors particularly admire his paintings of the Southwest, including majestic scenes of the Grand Canyon and Canyon de Chelly.

Canyon de Chelly - SOLD

In 1920, Payne became the first President of the Laguna Beach Art Association.  This important group of artists also included notable early California painters Joseph Kleitsch, Hanson Puthuff, and William Wendt.

Edgar Payne’s works can be found in numerous museums and public collections, including the Laguna Art Museum, the National Museum of American Art in Washington D.C., the Oakland Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

His book “The Composition of Outdoor Painting” has been popular with artists as a guide for many years, and has been reprinted many times.  The beautiful new book, “Edgar Payne – The Scenic Journey” was published as companion to the current exhibit at the Crocker Art Museum, and features a lead essay and chronology by Scott Shields. 

In the new book, he writes “In each locale, he sought vitality, bigness, nobility, and grandeur, which he turned into unified, carefully calculated compositions with brushwork that seemed to pulsate with life.”  

Sierra Peak - SOLD

The exhibit opened to the public on February 11^th and continues through May 6^th, 2012.  Related events at the museum include a visit to the exhibit with commentary by the Curator and Assistant Curator on March 29^th at 5:30, and a screening of a new documentary film about the artist on May 3^rd at 6:30 pm.  For additional information about the exhibit, please contact the Crocker Art Museum, located at 216 O Street, at (916) 808-7000.  For additional information about available paintings by Edgar Payne at William A. Karges Fine Art in Carmel and Beverly Hills, please call (800) 833-9185.

Art in the Adobes, Sept 30 through October 2, 2011

Early California Art lovers are looking forward to “Art in the Adobes”, a unique event taking place in downtown Monterey September 30^th through October 2^nd.  During the weekend, a number of important paintings by a variety of Early Monterey artists will be on view.  The title of the Exhibition is “Hidden Treasures from Old Monterey”, since many of the paintings have rarely been seen by the public until now. The exhibition focuses on local artists from the Monterey area who worked during the late 18^th century and early 19^th century. The works will be displayed simultaneously in a number of historic venues, including the Stevenson House, The Cooper-Molera Adobe, and ColtonHall, site of the 1849 California Convention.

Note: Images posted in this blog are NOT paintings that will be on display at this event (those will remain “hidden” until the Festival begins on the 30^th).  Images seen in this post are paintings by artists represented at the event, and several of the works are currently available to interested collectors through Karges Fine Art.  

Paintings that will be on display during Art at the Adobes include works by noted marine artist Armin Hansen, Charles Rollo Peters, and Mary DeNeale Morgan. 

Armin Hansen settled in the Monterey area in 1913, and was one of the founders of the Carmel Art Association.   One of his oversize masterpieces will be on view at Casa Serrano during the Festival.  He is best remembered for his dramatic depictions of coastal scenes, boats, and local fishermen.

Fisher's Landing by Armin Hansen

Mary DeNeale Morgan settled in Carmel in 1909, and attended summer art classes that were led by William Merritt Chase. She later became the director of the Carmel School of Art from 1917-1925.  

On Sunday, October 2^nd, 2011, Lila Staples, Chair of the Visual and Public Art Department at California State University Monterey Bay, will present a lecture and slide discussion focusing on women artists of Monterey’s early years.   Scott Shields, Chief Curator of the Crocker Art Museum, will be on hand Saturday October 1^st at Monterey City Hall with a lecture titled “When Monterey was Modern: The Peninsula’s Early Art Colony and its Place in California Art”.

Works by Christian Jorgensen (1860 – 1935) will be on display at the Cooper-Molera Adobe, a National Historic Trust site.  He is best remembered for his intricately detailed coastal scenes featuring the distinctive local Cypress trees.  In 1905 he and his wife Angela built a boulder home in Carmel, which later became the Hotel La Playa.

Christian Jorgensen -  Coastal Cypress     SOLD

Charles Rollo Peters, known for his quiet, contemplative nocturnes, will also be represented at the event.  The MontereyMuseum of Art  will mount a special display of important paintings on loan, and the StevensonHouse will also provide a temporary home to paintings by Peters and his second wife, Constance Evans Easley Peters.

Charles Rollo Peters "Adobe  SOLD

The Monterey Public library will have paintings on display by local artists Arthur Hill Gilbert, Francis McComas, and Abel Warshawsky.  

Abel Warshawsky - Coastal Scene

Francis McComas, noted for his delicate watercolors, studied with Arthur Mathews (a central figure in the San Francisco Bay Area art scene) at the Mark Hopkins Institute in San Francisco at the turn of the century.

Francis McComas "Monterey Oaks"

 

For additional information, details, and tickets to the Art in the Adobes event, please visit the official website at www.artintheadobes.org  

Three Important Exhibits on Display at the Crocker Art Museum

The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento currently has three outstanding exhibitions of early California and American paintings on display.  The museum, which unveiled a new 125,000 square foot addition in October of 2010, also has a strong permanent collection of Early California art.  The exhibitions currently open to the public also include works from the Brooklyn Museum and the Bank of America Collection.

The first exhibit, which opened on May 14^th, 2011, is titled “Transcending Vision: American Impressionism, 1870-1940”.  This collection of paintings by American Artists who were influenced by the French Impressionist movement features 125 works by a diverse group.  Paintings by notable and influential American artists George Inness and George Bellows are included in the exhibition, which ends on September 25^th, 2011.

Another exhibition of interest to admirers of Early American art is “Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism”,  which opened to the public on June 11^th, and runs through September 18^th.  This display includes approximately 40 landscape paintings from the Brooklyn Museum.  Both French and American artists are represented in a group of works from the mid-nineteenth through the early twentieth-century.   Works by John Singer Sargent and Childe Hassam are prominently featured.

The third show currently on display at the Crocker is titled “Gardens and Grandeur: Porcelains andPaintings by Franz A. Bischoff”.  The collection went on view June 25^th, and the exhibition continues through October 23^rd, 2011.  The exhibit chronicles the history and career of the “King of the Rose Painters”, and features approximately 40 examples of this artist’s work. 

Remembered primarily for his floral still lifes, Franz Bischoff was one of the finest early California Impressionists, and an outstanding colorist.  For additional information about this important Southern California artist, see our Blog entry which was posted last December.

For additional information about the Crocker Museum, including operating hours and directions, please visit their website at www.crockerartmuseum.org  

Franz Bischoff Exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of California Art

Franz Bischoff (1864-1929) is considered to be one of the finest early California impressionist painters, and an outstanding colorist.  His free flowing brushwork calls to mind both the impressionist and post impressionist styles, and he was well known for his strong compositions.  He is remembered primarily for his floral still lifes, especially his roses, but his body of work encompasses a wide variety of subjects and locations.  His paintings include Southern California landscapes, Carmel coastal scenes, and beautiful vignettes of Cambria. 

"Point Lobos" (Monterey County, California)   SOLD

Born in Austria in 1864, Bischoff studied painting, design, and porcelain decoration in Vienna.  He immigrated to New York in 1885, became a successful china painter, and eventually earned a reputation as “King of the Rose Painters”.

"Vase"      SOLD

"Rose Garden"    SOLD

He first visited California in 1900 and soon moved to Los Angeles.   In 1908 he completed construction of his home in South Pasadena, built in the Italian Renaissance style.   His home included a gallery, ceramic workshop, and a painting studio.

During his early years in California he began painting en plein air, creating landscapes outdoors in natural light.  

"Arroyo Seco"         SOLD

In 1912, he traveled to Europe to study the French Impressionists, and afterwards his use of color became more pronounced, dramatic, and vibrant.  

"Bush Gardens"       SOLD

Bischoff was an early member of the California Art Club, whose other members include important early California Impressionists Edgar Payne, Hanson Puthuff, and William Wendt.  He was also a member of the Laguna Beach Art Association.  He died in Pasadena, California on February 5^th, 1929 after a long, successful career.

Visitors to the Pasadena Museum of California Art can now view a large collection of the artist’s works at the current exhibit “Gardens and Grandeur: Porcelains and Paintings by Franz  A. Bischoff”.   The exhibition includes early ceramic works, as well as his later canvases.  The exhibition continues through March 20^th, 2011.  The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday 12 to 5.  Call 626-568-3665 for further information.  In the future, the exhibit will also travel to the Crocker Museum and the Irvine Museum.

Sacramento's Crocker Art Museum Reopens its Doors

Early California Art lovers were delighted to hear about the recent new addition to The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento.   The new 125,000 square foot building, designed by architect Gwathmey Siegel, was opened to the public on October 10^th.    Established in 1885, the Crocker Art Museum includes one of the premier collections of Early California paintings in the state.    The new building houses a gallery filled with early 20^th century Southern California Landscape paintings. 

The monumental work, “Great Canyon of the Sierra, Yosemite, 1871” by early landscape artist Thomas Hill (1829 – 1908) is prominently featured in the new building. 

Other notable works in the permanent collection include “San Fernando Mission” by Charles Rollo Peters  , “April Skies, 1910” by William Wendt , and “A Shepherd and his Flock in the Early Morning Mist, 1930” by Granville Redmond.

Also found in the vast collection are works by artist Colin Campbell Cooper (1856 – 1937), known for his impressionist style views of cities around the world.

Master watercolorist Percy Gray, remembered for his delicate, misty, romantic landscapes, is also represented in the permanent collection. 

Other early California paintings on view at the Museum  include works by such notable artists as Franz Bischoff, John Gamble,  and Edgar Payne.

The Crocker Art Museum is located at 216 O Street, Sacramento, CA.  Phone: (916) 808-7000.  Hours are Tuesday & Wednesday 10 AM-7 PM, Thursday 10 AM-9 PM, Friday-Sunday 10 AM-5 PM, Closed Mondays.  Every third Sunday of the month is “Pay What You Wish Sunday”.

For additional information about currently available original paintings by these important early California artists, please visit William A. Karges Fine Art at Dolores and Sixth Avenue in Carmel, CA (831) 625-4266 and 427 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA (310) 276-8551 or visit the website at www.kargesfineart.com

Exhibition - Lasting Impressions: Colin Campbell Cooper

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Early American/California Impressionist artist Colin Campbell Cooper (1856 – 1937) is best known for his cityscapes, street scenes and architectural subjects painted during his extensive travels throughout the world.   A comprehensive exhibition of his works, “Lasting Impressions: Colin Campbell Cooper”, is currently on view at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum through October 8^th, 2010.   The exhibit features over thirty paintings that portray his views of Europe, India and the East Coast, as well as local places of interest, such as the Santa Barbara Mission and the historic El Encanto Hotel.  Cooper joined the faculty of the Santa Barbara School of the Arts as Dean of Painting after arriving in the area in 1921.

His body of work encompasses a wide variety of subjects, including still lifes, portraits, and landscapes.   Cooper created his paintings using an Impressionist style and palette inspired by artists such as Childe Hassam (1859 – 1935).  

His many trips abroad led him to Europe, including a trip in 1886 to Holland, a country that inspired many of his most accomplished and exceptional works.    

"Amsterdam", Oil on canvas, 29 x 43  SOLD

In 1889, the artist moved to Paris, where he studied at several prominent art schools, including the Academie Julian.  Traveling throughout Europe, he painted numerous views of various scenic locations, including Rheims Cathedral in France, the medieval town of Bruges in Belgium, and the poetic Wells Cathedral in England. 

"Rheims, July 5, 1906", Gouache, 21 x 15   SOLD

"Street in Bruges, Belgium", Oil on canvas, 22 x 18  SOLD

"Wells Cathedral, 1902", Gouache, 18 1/2 x 16 1/2   SOLD

During his long and successful career, Colin Campbell Cooper was a member of many of the leading art clubs in the United States, including the distinguished National Academy of Design, and the American Watercolor Society.   Examples of his elegant Impressionist paintings can be found in such renowned institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (“View of New York City”), the Dallas Museum of Art (“The Flatiron Building, 1904”), and the White House Collection (“The Capitol at Night”).

Millard Sheets Exhibit at Pasadena Museum of California Art

On February 14, 2010, the exhibit “Millard Sheets: The Early Years (1926 – 1944) opened at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. Curator Gordon McClelland has organized the first cohesive survey of the first two decades of this early California painter’s career.


Emma Jacobson-Sive, Pasadena Museum of California Art Director of Public Relations, noted “It is often a challenge to narrow down works of a prolific and important artist, but the emphasis on the time period--the earlier part of Sheets’ career--certainly helped focus the exhibition. The works selected capture the changes and evolution of the artist’s style and by including some of his successful students’ work, they also capture his influence too.”


Millard Sheets was born in Pomona, California, in 1907. He attended the Chouinard Art School in Los Angeles, studying with Clarence Hinkle. Following a painting trip through Europe, Sheets returned to Los Angeles to teach at Chouinard. He is best remembered for his depression-era regionalist works known as the “California Scene Paintings.” Sheets spent 20 years teaching at Scripps College, and 6 years as the director of the Otis Institute before retiring to Mendocino County in 1960.

Millard Sheets

“The Capitol Building” was a part of a larges series Millard Sheets completed in the 1950’s and early 60’s as a commission to promote areas serviced by United Airlines. The images were reproduced in a series of United Airline calendars to promote the wonder of travel.

Sheets, well known for his individual paintings, is also known for the artworks featured in the interiors and exteriors of dozens of buildings in Los Angeles County. He also drew, 1n 1957, the Los Angeles County Seal

To view available paintings by Millard Sheets, visit William A. Karges Fine Art at Dolores and Sixth Ave. in Carmel, CA, call (800) 833-9185 or visit www.kargesfineart.com