Collection of Paintings by Santa Fe Indian School Students — 1943


July 10, 2015 until October 30, 2015

THIS COLLECTION HAS SOLD!

This collection of 10 paintings by eight students of The Studio of The Santa Fe Indian School was probably a 1943 class project, according to one of the students of the time, Ramos Sanchez of San Ildefonso Pueblo.  We interviewed Ramos Sanchez on Sunday, May 17, 2015 at San Ildefonso Pueblo, and showed him the 10 paintings.  He thought they were painted when he and the others were in the 8th or 9th grade, however we have since determined that they were probably painted in 1943.

 

Our research did not provide any evidence that any of the students of that class continued painting as a career except for Ramos Sanchez of San Ildefonso and Rita Martinez of Taos Pueblo.  None of the other students is included in any published books on Native artists.  Had any of them continued painting as a career, their careers would have been documented. 

 

These paintings may represent one of the few paintings by these artists.  In fact, they may be the only paintings by each of them that has survived.  Each of the paintings was signed by the artist and each was framed in matching wood frames, possibly at the Indian School or perhaps later by someone else.  It is not known where the paintings have been since they were completed but there are reasons to believe that they were originally purchased by Conrad Hilton for his first Albuquerque hotel which opened in 1939.  They were recently discovered in a collection in Albuquerque, but the owner had no provenance on them.

 

Several of the paintings have written in pencil on verso H-Hotel.  Ramos stated that Conrad Hilton purchased paintings from him for his first Albuquerque hotel and paid $400 for each, when Ramos was only getting cents for his paintings at that time.  Perhaps all of these were purchased for Hilton’s first hotel in Albuquerque.  Several New Mexico hotels had paintings by Native artists displayed in the hotel rooms.  The La Fonda in Santa Fe did and it appears that the Hilton in downtown Albuquerque did as well.


The paintings are only being offered as a group.

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