Original Painting of Kokopelli-type Figures [SOLD]

Helen Hardin's very first one-woman exhibit at Enchanted Mesa Indian Arts in Albuquerque was in 1964.  It did not feature the style art Hardin eventually evolved that made her famous, but it was a successful exhibit.  They were priced at twelve dollars.  This was the same time that her dad, Herbert Hardin, moved to the DC area to continue his career as a policeman.

Helen had not settled on a career choice at that time and was terribly frustrated because she did not know what she wanted to do.  While in college, she studied art history and design, drawing and anthropology, but was still undecided as to a career.  After a year at UNM, she went to Washington, DC to stay with her father and got a local job but returned to New Mexico because it was overcast and raining too much for her. She missed the sun.

The year 1964 was busy and momentous for Helen.  She gave birth to her daughter, Margarete, in late 1964, following her successful exhibit at Enchanted Mesa.  Her father, in the meantime, had been transferred to Bogota, Columbia, to train local police officers.  Helen wrote him and asked if she could visit him in Bogota and he enthusiastically said yes.  She and Margarete spent six months with her dad.

It was during this visit to Bogota that Hardin painted this casein painting.  It was painted on paper and laid on board.  One can see the development of her style for which she would become famous.  The spring issue of New Mexico Magazine featured a beautiful photograph of Helen on its cover which brought immediate national attention to her.  Everyone wanted a Helen Hardin painting.  From that moment, her career blossomed and continued until she passed away in 1984.

Condition:  It appears to be in very good condition. It is a casein painting laid on board and has been framed without addition of glass.  There is sufficient room in the frame depth to add glass if desired.

Provenance:  from the collection of Katherine H. Rust

Recommended Reading:  Changing Woman: The Life and Art of Helen Hardin, by Jay Scott