John Louis Clarke Paintings & Artwork for Sale | John Louis Clarke Art Value Price Guide

Aug. 10, 2024
John Louis Clarke JL Clarke Bronze Bear Lamp
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
16 1/4" tall with shade. Glacier National Park Montana. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? Its quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this manwho was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcoms murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montanaan event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: Americas Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarkes carvings often were signed not only with "J. L. Clarke, but also at times "Cutapuis, Piegan for "Doesnt Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yongwho was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, "Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Aug. 10, 2024
HAND CARVED SCULPTURAL PLAQUE BY JOHN LOUIS CLARKE
Est: $100 - $150
John Louis Clarke Cutapuis, 1881 to 1970, hand carved wood sculptural plaque representing a bird with nestling surrounded by various subjects and leaves. A plaque is decorated with a geometrical ornament and scalloped rims. Signed, J.L. Clarke, lower left. John Louis Clarke was a Blackfoot artist and woodcarver from East Glacier, Montana who was deaf and mute, he was noted for his wildlife carvings related to Glacier National Park. One of Clarkes sculptures was owned by Warren G. Harding and was displayed in the White House. American Wood Carvings, Sculptures, Figures, Home Decor, Interior Design, and Collectibles.
Antique Arena Inc
Dec. 10, 2023
John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (American, 1881-1970)
Est: $600 - $900
Signed John Louis Clarke carved wood bear on base. Inscribed, "J. L. Clarke". From a Scarsdale, NY estate.
Clarke Auction Gallery
Jul. 29, 2023
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE JL CLARKE MOUNTAIN GOAT CARVING
Est: $1,500 - $2,250
Measures 5 5/8" tall x 4 3/8" long x 2 1/4" wide. Mildew or water damage to the base. No repairs. Signed J.L. Clarke. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with "J. L. Clarke, but also at times "Cutapuis, Piegan for "Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, "Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Jul. 29, 2023
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE JL CLARKE MOUNTAIN GOAT CARVING
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Measures 5 1/4" tall x 4 1/8" long x 2" wide. A fine example, with no damage or repairs. Signed J.L. Clarke. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with "J. L. Clarke, but also at times "Cutapuis, Piegan for "Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, "Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Jul. 29, 2023
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE JL CLARKE BEAR CUB CARVING
Est: $3,000 - $4,000
Measures 3 3/4" tall x 3 5/8" x 1 3/8" wide. An awesome example of a bear cub. Signed J.L. Clarke. No damage to note. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with "J. L. Clarke, but also at times "Cutapuis, Piegan for “Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Jul. 29, 2023
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE JL CLARKE SITTING BEAR CARVING
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
A rare example. Measures 5 3/4" tall x 4" wide x 3 1/2" long. Bear's bottom left leg has been broken and repaired with hot glue as shown in the photos. Holding a carved bear stick - we can neither confirm or deny that the stick was carved by Clarke. Signed on the base J.L. Clarke. The claws on the carving are lined with hot glue - which is correct for this style of carving. Clarke occasionally used glue on claws to make them look more realistic. A fantastic example of his work. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with "J. L. Clarke, but also at times "Cutapuis, Piegan for "Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Jul. 29, 2023
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE JL CLARKE BEAR CARVING
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
Carving measures 5 1/2" long x 4 1/8" tall x 2" wide. Excellent condition with no damage or repairs. A nice example of a bear signed J.L. Clarke. This bear was a common design carved by Clarke throughout his lifetime. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with "J. L. Clarke, but also at times "Cutapuis, Piegan for "Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Jul. 29, 2023
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE JL CLARKE MOUNTAIN GOAT CARVING
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Large example measuring 9" tall x 6 5/8" long x 5" wide. The goat's back side of the left horn has been damaged and repaired at one point - a different coloration of black has been used to paint over the damage as shown in the photos. Signed both J.L. Clarke and Cutapuis. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with "J. L. Clarke, but also at times "Cutapuis, Piegan for "Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Jul. 29, 2023
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE JL CLARKE BEAR CUBS CARVING
Est: $3,500 - $5,000
Carving measures 7 7/8" tall x 4 5/8" long x 2 1/8" wide. Signed on the back of the tree trunk ". Clarke". This carving was cut into 3 or more pieces in the early years of it's life hence the reason for the trailing signature. The cut is clean on either side of the tree. It was never drilled for a lamp. No other damage to note. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with "J. L. Clarke, but also at times "Cutapuis, Piegan for “Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
May. 05, 2023
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE BEAR BRONZE MONTANA
Est: $400 - $600
This bronze bears the Ace Powell Foundry Mark. 3 1/2" tall, 4 5/8" long, 3 1/2" wide. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with "J. L. Clarke, but also at times “Cutapuis, Piegan for “Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Apr. 30, 2023
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE MOUNTAIN GOAT BRONZE SCULPTURE
Est: -
John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) Mountain Goat Bronze Sculpture. John Louis Clarke was the son of Blackfeet tribesman Horace Clarke. Scarlet fever at the age of two left him permanently deaf and mute, earning him his Blackfeet name, Cutapuis—"the man who talks not." Throughout his life, he patiently communicated by writing notes, using sign language, or creating art. Clarke is considered self-taught, although he attended the Chicago Art Institute for a short time. He became a most prolific artist who worked in oils, watercolors, clays, charcoals, and even crayons. But his real fame developed from his international reputation for his sensitively executed, vibrant wood carvings of bears, mountain goats, and other wild animals of the Glacier National Park, particularly using cottonwood. Artist: John Louis Clarke Title: Mountain Goat Medium: Bronze Sculpture Signature Type: Signed Signature Location: on base Edition: 11/50 Keywords: Southwestern, Western Artwork, Art; Ref: BD1786
Bradford's
Nov. 05, 2022
LARGE RAMBLING BEAR JOHN CLARKE MONTANA BRONZE
Est: $750 - $1,000
Title is Large Rambling Bear. 5" Tall, 4 3/4" long. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with "J. L. Clarke, but also at times “Cutapuis, Piegan for “Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Nov. 05, 2022
HAPPY BEAR JOHN LOUIS CLARKE BRONZE MONTANA
Est: $750 - $1,000
Title is Happy Bear. 6" Tall. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with “J. L. Clarke, but also at times “Cutapuis, Piegan for “Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Nov. 05, 2022
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE BRONZE BOOKENDS MONTANA
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Very nice set of Bronze Mountain Goat Bookends. 5 3/4" tall, 5" long. John Louis (Cutapuis) Clarke (1881 - 1970) was active/lived in Montana, Wisconsin. John Clarke is known for Wildlife wood carving-panels, Indian genre painting. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. "Cutapuis" Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, "He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art. After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with “J. L. Clarke, but also at times “Cutapuis, Piegan for “Doesn’t Talk. Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans. Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Jun. 11, 2022
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE BRONZE MOUNTAIN GOAT MONTANA
Est: $400 - $600
Artist is John Louis Clarke of Glacier Park Montana. Work is entitled "Climbing Goat". 7.25" tall, 5.25" long. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. “Cutapuis” Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, “He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art.” After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with “J. L. Clarke,” but also at times “Cutapuis,” Piegan for “Doesn’t Talk.” Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans.” Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites” of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery. The Montana Historical Society in Helena; Charles M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana; Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana; Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana; and Glacier County Museum, Cut Bank, Montana have impressive collections of his art, among others. His archival collection is located at the John L. Clarke Gallery, East Glacier Park, Montana.
Davis Brothers Auction
Apr. 28, 2022
J. L. Clarke Carved Wood Standing Bear Sculpture
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
John Louis Cutapuis Clarke (American (Blackfeet), 1881-1970). Carved wood sculpture of a standing bear, with highly detailed features and fur. Incised signature and inscription "Glacier, Mont." along the underside. John Clarke, a friend of noted Western artist Charles M. Russell, is known for his work for the Great Northern Railway and was inspired in his carvings by the fauna of his home by Glacier National Park.
Revere Auctions
Jan. 29, 2022
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE BRONZE MOLD MONTANA
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Artist is John Louis Clarke of Glacier Park Montana. Work is entitled "Grizzly Bear". This Mold was used to produce bronzes. The bear it was cast from is pictured but not included. How could a Native American boy lacking the ability to hear or speak and raised at the edge of what would become Glacier National Park grow to become one of the most celebrated and collected wood sculptors in American history? It’s quite a story. John L. Clarke (1881-1970) experienced a meteoric rise to national notoriety. Many individuals and the Native American experience molded this man—who was made with the bark on. John L. Clarke was born the grandson of Blackfeet Chief Stands Alone and infamous frontiersman Malcom Clarke (1817-1869). Malcom’s murder led in part to the 1870 Baker Massacre of 217 Blackfeet on the Marias River in northern Montana—an event burned into the memory of every Blackfeet. Andrew R. Graybill, author of The Red and the White: A Family Saga of the American West wrote, "The Clarkes thus offer a rich historical lens through which to view the shifting grounds of race in the West and the wider nation during the mid-nineteenth century. They are also ideal in another sense: their individual stories are enormously compelling, for both the historian and the general reader." Robbed of his hearing by scarlet fever at just two years old, John and his family moved from the hardscrabble ranch life of central Montana near Highwood to Midvale, now East Glacier Park, on the western end of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As cultural historian and John L. Clarke biographer Larry Len Peterson wrote in Blackfeet John L. “Cutapuis” Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, “He felt a visceral fascination with the natural world and found his home in the grandeur of Glacier country in northwestern Montana. Wilderness, especially big wilderness, is where wildness most often happens, and it was where Clarke discovered himself and subjects for his art.” After attending several deaf schools in North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin, Clarke worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a master wood carver for several years and then returned to Midvale around 1910, started sculpting, and never wavered. He rose to fame by applying his passions for the Glacier country, its wildlife, and Native Americans to the arts of wood carving, sculpture, sketching, and painting. Louis W. Hill, Great Northern Railway president and unflagging promoter of Glacier National Park, played a significant part in that rise by including Clarke in a clever and well-planned promotional campaign that was initiated soon after the park was created in 1910. John L. Clarke and his wife Mamie were very moved by the visits of their dear friend Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) who in 1918 urged Clarke to embrace his Native American heritage. Russell understood that it would play well to tourists visiting the park. Soon, Clarke’s carvings often were signed not only with “J. L. Clarke,” but also at times “Cutapuis,” Piegan for “Doesn’t Talk.” Taking a cue from Russell, Clarke eventually illustrated his letters to friends and patrons and also began using an Indian head cipher with his signature. Clarke and Joe De Yong would be close friends for fifty years. In 1918 there was national recognition for Clarke when a prestigious gold medal was presented by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia for a carving of a bear. Clarke exhibited there in 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923-1932, and 1935. Many more national honors would follow. Clarke created art that was collected not only by adoring tourists, but also by the famous such as his friends Charles M. Russell and Joe De Yong—who was also deaf; John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; and President William Harding, among many others. His 1956 masterwork, The Blackfeet Encampment, four feet by thirteen feet, graces the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Well-received retrospective exhibitions followed at the MHS in 1993/1994 and 2014. On March 1, 2003, John L. Clarke was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans at the MHS. The citation for John L. Clarke in part read, “Facing odds that would have deterred lesser men, he crafted a career as a renowned Blackfeet artist. His legacy survives as a worthy inspiration for all Montanans.” Spokesman for the nominating committee, Kirby Lambert, gave special praise and lauded Clarke as “…one of my personal favorites” of the almost three dozen individuals in the Gallery.
Davis Brothers Auction
Dec. 19, 2021
A John Louis Clarke Grizzly Bear lamp base
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
A John Louis Clarke (American, 1881 – 1970) wood carving of a grizzly bear, drilled as a lamp base, signed 'J. L. Clarke', 10"h.
Clars Auctions
Oct. 09, 2021
John Louis Clarke (1881-1970) Grizzly Bear Bronze
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
This is a set of two original bronze Grizzly Bear Bronze sculptures attributed to John Louis Clarke (1881-1970) from East Glacier Park, Montana. John L. Clarke was born to a Blackfeet and half Scottish father and a Blackfeet mother, who was the daughter of a Blackfeet Chief. At the age of two, Clarke came down with an illness of scarlet fever that left him deaf and mute. Later in life, he worked out of his studio in East Glacier Park, where he would create his carvings, sculptures, and paintings. The piece shows two solid bronze Grizzly Bears, a mother and cub set into a dark piece of burla setting style seen on a few other Clarke original examples. The pieces are not signed, but show the same manner of carving, shape, and style of other authentic examples and are truly thought to be an original. The sculptures measure overall 8.5 by 5.5 by 4.5.
North American Auction Company
Sep. 25, 2021
JOHN LOUIS CLARKE MONTANA LINOCUT PRINT
Est: $150 - $200
Artist is John Louis Clarke of Glacier Park Montana. 9.5" by 13.25" Including matte.
Davis Brothers Auction
Nov. 28, 2020
John Louis Clarke Mountain Goat Carving Montana
Est: $750 - $1,000
Very nice original carving by John Louis Clarke of Glacier Park Montana. Measures 2.25" long by 2.75" tall. Some horn rubbing as shown. Signed on base. Small unusual size.
Davis Brothers Auction
Jun. 04, 2020
J.L. Clarke (American, 1881-1970) Deer with Mountains, 1942
Est: $200 - $300
John L. Clarke (American, 1881-1970) Deer with Mountains, 1942, charcoal on paper, signed J.L. Clarke (lower right) 5 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches
Hindman
Mar. 08, 2020
John Louis Clarke. Bear Carving.
Est: $600 - $800
Height 14 inches. Signed "J.L. Clark / Glacier Park Mont." on the base.
Casco Bay Auctions
Aug. 26, 2018
John Clarke (Montana, 1881 - 1970)
Est: $200 - $400
John Clarke (Montana, 1881 - 1970) River Landscape. Colored Pencil/Paper. Signed lower left. Sight Size: 3.75 x 5.75 in. Overall Size: 8.75 x 10.75 in. Clarke is usually considered self-taught, although he attended the Chicago Art Institute for a short time. He became a most prolific artist who worked in oils, watercolors, clays, charcoals, and even crayons. But his real fame developed from his international reputation for his sensitively executed, vibrant wood carvings of bears, mountain goats, and other wild animals of the Glacier National Park, particularly using cottonwood.
Helmuth Stone
Aug. 26, 2018
John Clarke (Montana, 1881 - 1970)
Est: $200 - $400
John Clarke (Montana, 1881 - 1970) Signed lower right. Sight Size: 4.75 x 7.5 in. Overall Size: 9.25 x 11.75 in. Framed behind glass. Clarke is usually considered self-taught, although he attended the Chicago Art Institute for a short time. He became a most prolific artist who worked in oils, watercolors, clays, charcoals, and even crayons. But his real fame developed from his international reputation for his sensitively executed, vibrant wood carvings of bears, mountain goats, and other wild animals of the Glacier National Park, particularly using cottonwood.
Helmuth Stone
Mar. 03, 2018
Original John L. Clarke Glacier Ram Bronze Montana
Est: $750 - $2,250
This is an original John L. Clarke (1881-1970) bronze sculpture from East Glacier Park, Montana. Clarke was born to a Scottish/Blackfeet father and a mother who was the daughter of a Blackfeet chief in 1881. An illness of Scarlet Fever left him deaf and mute since the age of two. Later in life, he worked out of his studio in East Glacier Park where he would create his carvings, sculptures and paintings. This is a wonderful bronze sculpture done by Clarke showing a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. The piece shows fantastic detail and artistic ability. The sculpture was originally carved from wood and cast in bronze. It sits on a solid exotic hardwood base with a brass placard that reads "Glacier Ram by John L. Clark 1881-(Cutapuis)-1970". The back of the piece has been signed "JL Clarke" and is numbered 116/200. The bronze sculpture is in good condition. It measures 5.25" x 5.75" and is 6.25" tall.
North American Auction Company
Jan. 06, 2018
Original John L. Clarke Glacier Montana Bronze
Est: $750 - $1,500
This is an original John L. Clarke bronze sculpture from East Glacier Park, Montana. Clarke was born to a Scottish/Blackfeet father and a mother who was the daughter of a Blackfeet chief in 1881. An illness of Scarlet Fever left him deaf and mute since the age of two. Later in life, he worked out of his studio in East Glacier Park where he would create his carvings, sculptures and paintings. This is a wonderful bronze sculpture done by Clarke showing a young black bear cub walking along a stone pathway. The piece shows fantastic detail and artistic ability. One side is marked "6/25" and the other is signed "J.L. Clarke". The bronze sculpture is in good condition. It measures 1.5" x 3.25" and is 4" tall.
North American Auction Company
Mar. 21, 2015
John L. Clarke (Cutopius) Carved Elk Sculpture
Est: $800 - $1,200
John L. Clarke (Cutopius, Man Who Talks Not), (American, 1881-1970), "Elk (Wapiti)", carved wood sculpture, incised signature on integral rectangular base "J.L. CLARKE", opposite side with "CUTOPUIS". Figural sculpture depicting a realistic elk or wapiti standing on a rectangular base, antlered animal endearing face, beard and white painted bottom. Approximate height 9.75", width 7.75", depth 3".
Ahlers & Ogletree Inc.
Aug. 17, 2013
CARVED AND PAINTED FIGURE OF AN AMERICAN EAGLE BY JOHN LOUIS CLARKE (BLACKFOOT INDIAN 1881-1970).
Est: $700 - $900
Also known as Cutapuis (Man who speaks not). Signed "J.L. Clarke, Glacier Park, Montanta." Height 12 inches, width 12 inches, depth 10 inches.
Bourgeault-Horan Antiquarians