Santa Fe Indian School Studio Painting of a Bear [SOLD]

This delightful painting of a bear is part of a collection in which some paintings are dated 1943, and which contains the work of students from The Studio at the Santa Fe Indian School. The collection is probably from one class, as all the paintings are similarly framed.

The Studio of The Santa Fe Indian School was founded in 1932 by Dorothy Dunn, who encouraged her students to paint images that reflected their heritage or things with which they were familiar. She left the school in 1937, and Geronima Cruz Montoya of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo (San Juan Pueblo then) became the director until 1962. It is likely she would have been the teacher of Pat Torres, the young artist who painted this bear.

The image of a bear placed on a blank background is typical of the style of The Studio. The bear is set against a blank background with only a piece of wood and a small plant for perspective.

The painting is in its original frame, with new matting. The artist’s signature, Pat Torres, appears at the bottom right side and is also written in pencil on verso.

It is believed that Conrad Hilton purchased this painting for his first hotel in Albuquerque as he did with the other similarly framed ones in this group. In an interview with Ramos Sanchez, one of the students, he indicated that Hilton purchased paintings by students for his first Albuquerque hotel.

Condition: excellent condition with new mat board and backing and original frame and glass.

Recommended Reading: American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn.  This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery.

Provenance: from a family in Albuquerque who unfortunately did not know its history or provenance.