Western Art Collector January 2021/ No. 161

Welcome to 2021 and the January issue of Western Art Collector! Art and collecting not only survived well in 2020, in many areas it has thrived. Over the past 12 months we have watched the market swing greatly. The team at Western Art Collector is seeing norms clearly developing for the new year. For our collectors, we want to share three main observations when building your art collections. Local and National – As the shutdown rolled out across the country, our galleries and events branched out to virtual offerings at lightning speed to bring art to you. The pleasantly surprising occurrence equaled growth in many areas. As you experienced the at-home purchase through galleries, you were able to find exceptional art virtually. In 2021, this experience will continue to grow.…

DECEMBER December 18-28 MOUNTAIN TRAILS GALLERY Troy Collins Park City, UT – (435) 615-8748 www.mountaintrailsgalleries.com Through December 26 INSIGHT GALLERY Jeremy Browne Fredericksburg, TX – (830) 997-9920 www.insightgallery.com Through December 31 LEGACY GALLERY Holiday Small Works Show Scottsdale, AZ – (480) 945-1113 www.legacygallery.com Through December 31 MOUNTAIN TRAILS GALLERY Treasure Hunt: Gems of Sculpture, Paintings, and Other Delightful Things Sedona, AZ – (800) 527-6556 www.mountaintrailssedona.com JANUARY January 1-31 MOUNTAIN TRAILS GALLERY Made in Arizona Sedona, AZ – (800) 527-6556 www.mountaintrailssedona.com Through January 2 PLAINSMEN GALLERY Small Works & More Group Show Dunedin, FL – (727) 734-8200 www.plainsmen.com January 5-March 14 BOOTH WESTERN ART MUSEUM Wildlife Artist Carrie Penley Cartersville, GA – (770) 387-1300 www.boothmuseum.org January 6 DENVER ART MUSEUM Great Women and the Arts of the West Denver, CO –…

December 18-January 24 Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale Online – (303) 291-2567 January 23 Brian Lebel’s Mesa Old West Show & Auction Mesa, AZ – (480) 779-9378 February 12-14 Southeastern Wildlife Exposition Charleston, SC – (843) 723-1748 February 27-April 11 Masters of the American West Los Angeles, CA – (323) 667-2000 Through March 7 High Desert Masters Exhibition Prescott, AZ – (928) 778-1385 March 6-7 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market Phoenix, AZ – (602) 252-8840 March 17-20 Out West Art Show & Sale Great Falls, MT – (406) 899-2958 March 18-20 March in Montana Auction and Dealer Show Great Falls, MT – (208) 664-2091 March 26-27 Briscoe Museum’s Night of Artists San Antonio, TX – (210) 299-4499 March 26-May 9 Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half…

Betsy Fahlman Adjunct Curator of American Art Phoenix Art Museum Phoenix, AZ (602) 257-2118 www.phxart.org What event (gallery show, museum exhibit, etc.) in the next few months are you looking forward to, and why? Travel in these pandemic days is more theoretical than possible. But I wish I could have seen Mythmakers: The Art of Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and Forgotten Stories: Northwest Public Art of the 1930s at the Tacoma Art Museum. On the international side was the retrospective of Artemisia Gentileschi at the National Gallery of Art in London. What are you reading? I am an eclectic reader, and favor especially books on women (a strong curatorial interest of mine). Ones I have particularly enjoyed this year are Julie…

The Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, New Mexico, has added a work by Southwest painter Cliff Harmon to its permanent collection. The 1940s work, Guadalupe Church, was acquired through the Veritas Fund. Harmon, who died in 2018, was born in Southern California, but lived in Taos for more than seven decades. He was associated with the Taos Moderns group of artists. He was quite prolific while in the Southwest and today his works can be found in many museums and great collections. Prior to becoming an artist, Harmon helped his father run Harmon Stationery and Art Supply stores in Hollywood and Santa Monica, California. He served as a sonarman during World War II, and later enrolled at the Bisttram School of Fine Art in Los Angeles after the end…

It was a busy summer for Ed Mell. In a one-two punch of announcements, the Phoenix painter revealed his artwork was being used as public art for a new hotel in his hometown and then, just days later, announced his artwork would serve as the cover for Hijos del Sol, a new album by Hermanos Gutiérrez. Mell started his career as an illustrator in New York, before returning to Arizona to become a fine artist, so these kinds of projects are not uncommon for the modernist landscape painter. Most recently, in 2017, Mell was the set designer for Arizona Opera’s production of Riders of the Purple Sage. “These sorts of things are always fun,” Mell says. “It helps that I get to work with some great people, like [architect] John…