LOS ANGELES, CA.- Isleta, New Mexico, by the German-born American Western artist Walter Ufer, leads Bonhams' first stand-alone Western Art sale in Los Angeles on Friday, February 26, 2021. It is estimated at $125,000 - 175,000. For the past 40 years, Bonhams Californian and Western Art department has consistently realized top results for a variety of Western artists, including early American Frontier painters, Taos Society Artists, and many members of the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America. Building on recent successes selling the Collection of L.D. “Brink” Brinkman, The Eddie Basha Collection, and Western works from the Estate of Barron Hilton, Bonhams will now conduct stand-alone sales of Western Art. The inaugural stand-alone sale is being led by Katherine Halligan, Bonhams’ newly appointed specialist in Western Art.

Commenting on Isleta, New Mexico, Halligan said: “Unlike many artists with European backgrounds, Ufer never romanticized his Native American subjects. In Isleta, New Mexico he depicts young women going about their everyday lives in an accurate, honest and authentic setting. Most of the women pay no attention to the artist as they attend to their numerous chores, with the exception of the one young girl who happens to stop for a moment, curious as to what the artist is doing. I am delighted to be able to offer this wonderfully fresh work in our first stand-alone Western Art sale together with many other strong examples of the genre.”

Among other notable highlights is a 22-inch cast of Cyrus Dallin’s iconic Appeal to the Great Spirit bronze, estimated at $50,000 - 70,000. In the same family since at least the 1940s, the bronze is number 12 out of an edition of 107. Dallin’s advocacy of Native American rights manifest in his respectful and authentic depictions of Indian figures and portraits. In the bronze, the figure mounted on a motionless horse throws his head back and extends his arms upward in a raw and emotional plea for divine intervention.

Other highlights include:

• Blackfeet Indians moving to the Buffalo Range by William Herbert Dunton (1878-1936). Estimate: $60,000 - 80,000.
• Antelope Hunter by Peter Hurd (1904-1984). Estimate: $50,000 - 70,000.

• Sagebrush in December (The Rabbit Hunt, Taos Valley) by Oscar Berninghaus (1874-1952). Estimate: $35,000 - 50,000.

• Gov’ of War by Harold Harrington Betts (1881-1951). Estimate: $5,000 - 7,000.