DENVER, CO.- A dynamic group of contemporary Western & Native American artwork will take center stage at Hindman during its May 4th auction, highlighted by works by Ed Mell, John Nieto, Fritz Scholder and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Property from an estate, being sold to benefit the Wichita Art Museum, elevates the selection of both historic and contemporary Western paintings in the sale with works by Edward Borein, Leon Gaspard and a selection of paintings by Richard Schmid. Another important collection to be offered is property from the Estate of Harry M. Cornell, Jr., a renowned Missouri businessman whose collection also features both historic and contemporary Western art.

Trailblazing Contemporary Western Artists

A group of quintessential panoramic Ed Mell works from the Smith Collection, Scottsdale, Arizona will be an anchor of the auction. Highlights include Mell’s Vaulting Clouds (lot 170; estimate: $50,000 - 70,000) and Quiet Distance (lot 169; estimate: $40,000 - 60,000). In addition to 12 other paintings and sculptures by Mell, the Smith Collection will also include paintings by Merrill Mahaffey, and jewelry by Denise Wallace, to be offered in the July Native American Jewelry auction.

Exceptional contemporary works from the Harry M. Cornell Estate will be another highlight.

Noteworthy paintings include Clyde Aspevig’s Banks of the Pourde (lot 24; estimate: $6,000-8,000) and Robert Daughters’ At Sunset (lot 54; estimate: $7,000-9,000). Other artists whose works will be featured in the contemporary session include Brian Grimm, John DeMott and Tim Solliday.

Property from an Estate, sold to benefit the Wichita Art Museum will also feature a range of stunning contemporary pieces including a group of works by Richard Schmid. Headlining the group will be Schmid’s Gladiolas, 1962 (estimate: $40,000-60,000). Throughout his career, Schmid developed a distinct poetic approach to realism. Gladiolas is a lyrical depiction of flowers, and conveys the sense of creativity about to take place as they are presented.

Powerful Contemporary Native American Works

As an industry leader in bringing works by Luiseño artist Fritz Scholder to the secondary market, Hindman will present another great selection of paintings by the artist. Most noteworthy is Fritz Scholder’s 1969 Indian at the Bar (lot 249; estimate: $50,000-70,000). Scholder was known for depicting what he understood about the struggles of modern Native American life, and the challenges of to reconciling modernity and tradition. Indian at the Bar is one of Scholder’s depictions of what he called “real Indians.” The painting comes across as both a condemnation of forced assimilation and as a satire on the Hollywood Western.

Additional standout contemporary highlights to be offered include John Nieto’s vibrant 2000 painting Poised Coyote (lot 238; estimate: $20,000-30,000). Jaune Quick-To-See Smith’s abstract Kalispell Series #40 (lot 254; estimate: $6,000-8,000) is another closely watched lot. Given past results, the firm is expecting these works to see strong presale interest.

Great Historic Western Artists – Winold Reiss & Leon Schulman Gaspard

The star work of the historic offering will be Winold Reiss’s 1943 Plenty Treaties (lot 142; estimate: $70,000-90,000). Renowned for his powerful portraiture, Reiss painted more than 250 works depicting Native Americans, and the one to be offered here is a beautiful display of his talent.

In addition to the contemporary offering from an estate, sold to benefit the Wichita Museum, several significant historic highlights from this collection will also be offered. Most notable include Leon Schulman Gaspard’s 1917 Untitled (Russian Village Market) (lot 66; estimate: $12,000-18,000), which showcases how Gaspard combined French Impressionism with Realism, and how he imbued regional colors into his depictions of Russian villages.

Works by the California etcher and painter Edward Borein will also be featured. Borein’s Herding Longhorns (lot 122; estimate: $12,000 - 18,000) is a classic and desirable example of his action-packed depictions of the western cowboy. William Robinson Leigh’s 1918 Cliff Dweller Art (estimate: $10,000 - 15,000) is another highlight, which showcases Leigh’s proclivity for realism and his skilled use of soft colors to illustrate early Native American life through a Romantic lens.

Top lots of the sale also include Birger Sandzén’s Autumnal Landscape, 1939 (lot 51; estimate: $60,000-80,000). Born in Sweden, Sandzén studied under celebrated figure artist and printmaker Anders Zorn before journeying to France to continue his education under pointillist master George Seurat’s studio. This vibrant landscape epitomizes Sandzén’s mature style as it evolved from Seurat’s pointillist practice of setting dots of color, one against another, and allowing the optics of the viewer’s eye to mix them.

The full auction can be viewed online here.