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Western & Contemporary Native American Art
|
- Sale 1239
Live
| Denver
Nov 1 | 10:00 AM MDT
Live
| Denver
Sale 1239
| Denver
| Denver
Estimate$15,000 – $20,000
From his earliest days in Denmark, Olaf Wieghorst, the American West, the horse, and art seemed bound to a single destiny. A strong, strapping young man, Wieghorst trained to be an acrobat. In 1918 this led to work with an American film crew on a Western filmed in Denmark. When the film crew returned to America, Wieghorst joined along. Once in New York he immediately enlisted in the U.S. Cavalry, as they were about to be posted to the Southwest in pursuit of Pancho Villa, who had crossed into New Mexico. For the next four years, Wieghorst explored the southwestern landscape that would shape his aesthetic. He then worked as a cowboy and ranch hand and eventually found himself back in New York City, serving as a mounted police officer. There, in the late 1930’s, Wieghorst met sculptor Joe Paulio, who was creating a model of a horse in the police stables. Paulio inspired Wieghorst to begin painting, sculpting, and printmaking, and in 1944 he moved west and settled in El Cajon, California.
In art as in life, Wieghorst “stayed” on horses. He once observed, “I couldn’t have learned what I did from some teacher in art school, I learned about horses by sleeping, freezing, thirsting, and starving with them. I learned by doing; I paint what I know.” Broadly speaking, Wieghorst was a realistic painter, but there is always something of the fable in his work, a sense of romance that aligns him with his Danish countryman, writer Hans Christian Andersen. In Mountain Ponies, the three subjects - all different from one another - confer in the artist’s characteristic high-altitude haze in shades of blue. The place itself is a sanctuary, a haven for the equine wildness Wieghorst loved and loved to paint.
- James D. Balestrieri
Overall basic good and stable condition; painting has been relined and stretcher appears new; very faint, vertical lines of craquelure appearing in upper left quadrant, visible in raking light- appears to have been stabilized by relining; UV light does not reveal any areas of loss, repair or inpainting. Framed dimensions: 35 1/2 x 41 1/2 inches. Please request additional images.
Please contact the Western Art department at [email protected] for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot. The absence of any reference to the condition of a lot does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or free from wear, imperfections or evidence of aging. All lots are sold “AS IS”. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to the client, is an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Hindman Auctions shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
The physical condition of lots in our auctions can vary due to age, normal wear and tear, previous damage, and restoration/repair. All lots are sold "AS IS," in the condition they are in at the time of the auction, and we and the seller make no representation or warranty and assume no liability of any kind as to a lot's condition. Any reference to condition in a catalogue description or a condition report shall not amount to a full accounting of condition. Condition reports prepared by Freeman's staff are provided as a convenience and may be requested from the Department prior to bidding.
The absence of a posted condition report on the Freeman's website or in our catalogues should not be interpreted as commentary on an item's condition. Prospective buyers are responsible for inspecting a lot or sending their agent or conservator to inspect the lot on their behalf, and for ensuring that they have requested, received and understood any condition report provided by Freeman's.
Please email [email protected] for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.
To request further details about this lot, please email [email protected]
Alexandria Dreas
Specialist, Head of Sale, Western and Contemporary Native American Art
