Western Art Collector December 2023/No. 196

Welcome to the December 2023 issue of Western Art Collector! Time flies when you are an avid collector. We continue delivering on tradition this year with our Western Gift Guide packed with dozens of amazing, unique and exclusive gift ideas to order now. The fun part is that, unlike shopping anywhere else, in Western Art Collector’s gift guide you are buying directly from the artist or gallery and there are always stories to be heard about each piece. The Western Gift Guide starts on Page 81. With more than 14 pages in this issue dedicated to our two special sections, Winter Scenes and Art of the Cowboy, we are “tempting you” on purpose to add to your collection. In the spirit of the holidays, we can’t wait to tell you…

It’s hard to not reflect back on the previous year as December finally arrives and that blurry form of 2024 on the horizon starts to come into focus. We’re often so busy—isn’t everyone these days?!?—that there’s not a whole lot of time for gazing backward, but this year has been different. It’s been a remarkable year in the Western art world. There have been hit shows, gorgeous new museum exhibitions and auctions with results that continue to reinforce Western art’s long-term presence in the culture and art market. I traveled quite a bit this year, and everywhere I went I saw excitement for the artists and events. There is a palpable level of energy that is unique to this genre of art. It’s unmistakable. As I look back, I also…

ONGOING: The Russells in Denver, 1921 DENVER ART MUSEUM | Denver, CO | (720) 865-5000 | www.denverartmuseum.org December THROUGH DECEMBER 1 THE BASHA COLLECTION GALLERY  The Basha Collection Chandler, AZ – (480) 895-5230 www.eddiebashacollection.com DECEMBER 1-31 MANITOU GALLERIES Small Works Show Santa Fe, NM - (505) 984-0440 www.manitougalleries.com DECEMBER 1-31 MOCKINGBIRD GALLERY Lasting Impressions Bend, OR - (541) 388-2107 www.mockingbird-gallery.com DECEMBER 1-31 MOUNTAIN TRAILS GALLERY Magic of Winter: A Treasure Hunt of Beautiful Things Sedona, AZ - (928) 282-3225 www.mountaintrailssedona.com DECEMBER 1-APRIL 13, 2024 STEAMBOAT ART MUSEUM Wild West: Wildlife Masters, Past and Present Steamboat Springs, CO - (970) 870-1755 www.steamboartartmuseum.org DECEMBER 2 MARK SUBLETTE MEDICINE MAN GALLERY Howard Post: Past & Present Tucson, AZ - (520) 722-7798 www.medicinemangallery.com DECEMBER 7 LEGACY GALLERY Holiday Small Works Show Scottsdale, AZ - (480)…

ONGOING TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART Southwest Art: Contemporary Conversations Tucson, AZ - (520) 624-2333 www.tucsonmuseumofart.org THROUGH JANUARY 14, 2024 BOOTH WESTERN ART MUSEUM Eye on the Prize: The Steve & Milah Lynn Collection Cartersville, GA – (770) 387-1300 www.boothmuseum.org THROUGH JANUARY 15, 2024 KOLB STUDIO Grand Canyon Celebration of Art Grand Canyon Village, AZ www.grandcanyon.org/coa THROUGH JANUARY 20, 2024 COUSE-SHARP HISTORIC SITE Plein Air Painters of America: Out West www.pleinairpaintersofamerica.com www.couse-sharp.org THROUGH JANUARY 28, 2024 THE JAMES MUSEUM OF WESTERN & WILDLIFE ART From Far East to West: The Chinese American Frontier St. Petersburg, FL – (727) 892-4200 www.thejamesmuseum.org THROUGH FEBRUARY 25, 2024 TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART Enduring Legacies: The James T. Bialac Indigenous Art Collection Tucson, AZ – (520) 624-2333 www.tucsonmuseumofart.org THROUGH JUNE 30, 2024 PHOENIX ART MUSEUM The Muse of New Mexico…

JANUARY 3, 2024 COORS WESTERN ART EXHIBIT & SALE Denver, CO – (303) 291-2567 JANUARY 26-27, 2024 BRIAN LEBEL’S CODY OLD WEST SHOW & AUCTION Las Vegas, NV – (877) 968-8880 JANUARY 2024 (DATES TBA)  PETRIE INSTITUTE OF WESTERN AMERICAN ART SYMPOSIUM Denver, CO – (720) 865-5000 FEBRUARY 16-18, 2024 SOUTHEASTERN WILDLIFE EXPOSITION Charleston, SC – (843) 723-1748 FEBRUARY 2024 (DATES TBA)  MASTERS OF THE AMERICAN WEST Los Angeles, CA – (323) 667-2000 MARCH 22-SEPT. 1, 2024 DESERT CABALLEROS COWGIRL UP! Wickenburg, AZ – (928) 684-2272 MARCH 14-16, 2024 THE RUSSELL Great Falls, MT – (406) 727-1939 MARCH 14-16, 2024 MARCH IN MONTANA Coeur d’Alene, ID – (208) 664-2091 MARCH 14-16, 2024 OUT WEST ART SHOW & SALE Great Falls, MT – (406) 590-1961 MARCH 22-23, 2024  BRISCOE WESTERN ART MUSEUM…

The Basha Collection, acquired over decades by grocery store owner and famous Arizonan Eddie Basha, has been donated to two art museums in the Grand Canyon State: the Heard Museum in Phoenix and Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. The two museums will split the collection, with many of the Native American materials going to the Heard and the Western material and some Native American objects going to Western Spirit. Many of the art objects will be outright gifts to the institutions, while others will be on long-term loan. The announcement of the donations, made October 9 at the collection’s public gallery in Chandler, Arizona, was widely expected after the Bashas’ grocery chain was sold to a California grocery company in late 2021. Founded in 1932, the chain rose…