Because his art shatters stereotypical preconceptions, many collectors are surprised to learn that Glen Nipshank is Native American. They are equally surprised that his tribal affiliation is Big Stone Cree since most collectors of Native American ceramic art predominantly collect works by Pueblo artists. Nipshank explores form, color and shading in his ceramics, most of […]
An artist’s vision often outpaces the expectations of collectors, curators, and critics since innovations are very different from shortcuts and often require more time, rather than less, to execute. Truly great artists know this. Although they may push the boundaries of their art, artists know that an innovation must be artistically grounded, not a mere […]
Artists never know what will inspire them. The sources are myriad – personal experience, Nature, literature, or the work of other artists to name a few. In 2011, I began to acquire a group stencils and a collage by Eliza Naranjo Morse that were part of And We Will Live Off the Fat of the […]
In the fall of 2013 I contacted Sarah Sense with an eye to acquiring some pieces from her My Basket Story Series, consisting of sixteen works. Sarah responded that she wanted the series to stay together and go to one collector and, then shyly added, that she wanted that collector to be me. I was […]
There have always been farsighted people who have recognized great artists and acquired their work long before it was sought after by the majority of collectors or exhibited in galleries and museums. In the 1920s Gertrude Stein was buying up paintings by Picasso while he was still relatively unknown. Around the middle of the 20th […]
Collectors become aware of artists in a variety of ways. Often it is through museum and gallery exhibits; sometimes it is via gallery and artists’ web sites; and in many instances an artist’s work may be recommended by gallerists or curators. In the case of Linley B. Logan, I just sort of stumbled upon him. […]
Collectors become aware of artworks they wish to acquire in a variety of ways. From May 1 through July 5, 2015, the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa Hardesty Arts Center presented INTERTWINED, STORIES OF SPLINTERED PASTS: Shan Goshorn & Sarah Sense. Although I could not see the exhibit in person, the artists gifted me […]
In just over ten years Annie Pootoogook went from novice to emerging artist to a star sought after on the international art scene. Unlike many Inuit artists of previous generations, Annie does not present an idealized or romanticized version of life in the North filtered through memory. Instead, she shows life in the Arctic as […]
The most exciting time of year for collectors of Inuit prints is the October release of the Annual Cape Dorset Print Collection, consisting of over thirty works. Since prints are produced in editions of fifty each, with the rare exception of one or two prints with a run of one hundred, anticipation is high among […]
Most people would never connect a 1960s Hollywood movie about an ancient Egyptian queen, staring Elizabeth Taylor, with a Native artist and an Italian-American collector and expect the combination to result in a wok of art. They would be surprised to learn that this very mixture produced Elizabeth as Cleopatra by Sarah Sense. I was […]
One of the earliest catalysts of my passion for Native art was the Brooklyn Museum. It was there, in the early 1980s, that I first saw the pottery of Lucy Lewis, an event that set me on a journey of over thirty years collecting ceramic art created by Native artists. That experience was also the […]
Drawing from a seemingly endless well of creativity, Susan Folwell and Les Namingha are two of the most exciting and innovative contemporary American artists. Their predominant medium is ceramics, which they use much like a painter employs canvas or a sculptor stone or wood. Folwell is constantly pushing this art form in new directions – […]
Whenever I am confronted by the work of Sonya Kelliher-Combs I feel as if I’m on an artistic magical mystery tour. I never know where I am being taken but the journey is always thrilling, filled with revelations, secrets, metaphors, portraits and original ideas. Through her idiosyncratic imagery and use of unusual materials in unique […]
They have been called “miniatures,” “small spirits,” and “cultural microcosms” but, with few exceptions, dolls are first and foremost a child’s earliest and best friend. Being a male collector, I never really thought much about acquiring Native dolls but somehow they made their way into my collection and into my heart. It was certainly not […]
When I first encountered Inuit art I knew nothing about it but the more I saw the more intrigued I became. Visits to Vancouver and Toronto fueled my curiosity. With a little research, I discovered that the Arctic Artistry Gallery which specialized in Inuit art was only about two miles from where I lived. Over […]
As a collector, I can say in all honesty that I never know what type of art will attract my attention. Lately, I am mostly drawn to abstract works rather than those that are representational. When the 2014 Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection was released (the highpoint of the year for collectors of Inuit prints) […]
Collecting is a learning process, or it should be, in my opinion. In order to remain relevant, collectors and collections must continually evolve. Although, over the years, I have acquired many different types of Native art, I began with pottery and, though I am fast running out of space, I still can never resist an […]
More than ever before Native artists are challenging ideas of what it means to be both Native and an artist. They are expanding Native art beyond traditional boundaries and refusing to be confined by anyone else’s notions of what their art should or should not be. Nothing, be it themes, materials, or forms, is off […]
Each year scores of tourists are drawn to Alaska’s Pribilof Islands by the prospect of seeing millions of animals in their natural habitat. Most, however, are totally unaware that the “Galápagos of the North” was once the site of a shocking human tragedy that lasted more than 200 years. The history of the Unungan, […]
The purpose of art is not merely to be decorative. Great art forces us to see the world around us from a unique perspective. While art can be beautiful it can also be unsettling, shocking, or thought provoking. The work of great artists not only elicits an emotional response but, also challenges us to think […]
Late in her life, Inuit artist Napachie Pootogook began to create a series of drawings documenting life as it was once lived by her people, thereby creating a body of work the likes of which had not been seen before. At the time Napachie produced these works, what collectors, curators and the general public wanted […]
As a former teacher, I tend to view all educational institutions with a critical eye and, it would be fair to say that, it takes a great deal to impress me. It seems that there is often so much cant where education is concerned. However, a school that clearly fosters learning, artistic talent and a […]
Sometimes in order to go forward it is necessary to go backward. This is especially true for artists who, for inspiration, often turn to earlier artistic forms, such as ledger art, or to a time in life that was particularly painful or fraught with struggles. In addition, contemporary Native American […]
For well over a century, images of Native Americans have been flashed across movie screens worldwide. The tales of “wild Indians” and “noble savages” that audiences devoured as emblematic of the American West were illusions on more than one level. For the most part, the stories have been fictitious but, even when based on fact, […]
In the minds of many, Native American artists are inexorably linked with what has come to be known as the “traditional arts” – pottery, baskets, beadwork and such. However, while many contemporary Native artists still work in these media, more often than not, they execute their art in decidedly modernist ways. Other contemporary Native artists […]
When most people think of Native American art I doubt petroglyphs or other forms of rock art come to mind. However, these ancient markings are important to understanding much of the Native art that followed, including that produced in the contemporary era. Rock art is mysterious, mystical and mesmerizing. What makes it so fascinating is […]
When I first began to collect Native art in the early 1980s I did so in an encyclopedic fashion. If I saw three pieces of pottery or four baskets, for example, and couldn’t decide which was the best among them I would simply buy them all since prices were affordable. Fortunately, the works were all […]
Acquiring art for my collection has been an enjoyable process, except for figuring out how to pay for it. Usually, that has been solved with payment plans. In almost thirty years of collecting I’ve purchased pieces for my collection from shops, galleries, trading posts and directly from artists. Often, art was collected while traveling and, […]
Whenever I lecture about Native art I always explain that as a collector sometimes one is given a great deal of information, sometimes just a little, sometimes none and, in some cases, misinformation. As a beginning collector, I was so delighted to acquire a piece I liked that it never really […]
February, 2014 The American West is instantly recognizable to people around the world because, for generations, it has been portrayed in countless works of art. Paintings, novels, plays, operas and, most recently, movies and TV have presented it as a wild and violent place. However, over the last century the West has been seen through […]
Here is an essay and link to the virtual version of “Decolonizing the Exhibition: Contemporary Inuit Prints and Drawings from the Edward J. Guarino Collection,” which will be on view at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College through February 2. http://pages.vassar.edu/amst282/
January 2014 King Galleries is pleased that Edd Guarino has been a part of our website since 2007! The opinions stated in his columns are his and do not necessarily reflect those of the gallery or its artists. What started out as a few articles a year is now a monthly blog. The past articles have led […]
