Walter Ufer Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Walter Ufer Art Value Price Guide

Aug. 06, 2024
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Taos Peak 10 3/4 x 12 in. framed 16 3/4 x 18 in.
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Taos Peak signed and inscribed 'Ufer / Taos' (lower left) and signed again, titled and dated 'Sept 1914' (on the reverse) oil on canvasboard 10 3/4 x 12 in. framed 16 3/4 x 18 in.
Bonhams
May. 17, 2024
Attributed to Walter Ufer (1876-1936) - Wild Plum and Grey Day (Unsigned)
Est: $10,000 - $12,000
Attributed to Walter Ufer (1876-1936) - Wild Plum and Grey Day (Unsigned). 15" x 18" framed, 9" x 12" unframed. A letter from Duncan Gallery Inc. accompanies this painting.
Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery & Auction
Apr. 13, 2024
Walter Ufer, "A Singer"
Est: $50,000 - $75,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936), "A Singer", Oil on canvas, Signed upper right Titled and signed verso
Scottsdale Art Auction, LLC
Jan. 18, 2024
WALTER UFER (1876-1936) - A Taos Song
Est: $100,000 - $150,000
WALTER UFER (1876-1936) A Taos Song oil on canvas 16 x 20 ¼ in. (40.6 x 51.4 cm.)
Christie's
Nov. 14, 2023
Walter Ufer (1876-1936), Portrait of a bearded man, 1911, Oil on canvas, 21" H x 17" W
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Portrait of a bearded man, 1911 Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right: W. Ufer
John Moran Auctioneers
Nov. 16, 2022
Walter Ufer, (1876-1936), Pueblo cooking scene with figure, Oil on waxed lined canvas, 20" H x 26" W
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Pueblo cooking scene with figure Oil on waxed lined canvas Signed verso: W. Ufer 20" H x 26" W Provenance: Private Collection, Santa Barbara, CA Notes: Water Ufer is a celebrated German-American draftsman and colorist best known for his honest depictions of Native Americans during a time when other artists romanticized their culture. Born in Germany, but raised in the United States, Ufer went back and forth between Europe and the US apprenticing and gaining formal artistic training. After his second trip to Europe, Ufer visited Taos, New Mexico before returning to the Midwest where he eventually served as president of Chicago's Palette and Chisel, Academy of Fine Arts. However, the pull of the Southwest was so great that the artist eventually relocated to Taos and became an elected member of the Taos Society of Artists. The present work offers a rare insight into the artist's painting process. He creates a level of depth within the work with his bold, confident paint strokes. His use of a monochromatic palette allows the viewer's eye to wander throughout the scene, eventually coming to land on the central figure clothed in bright green baking in a horno, a traditional Native American oven. The figure becomes a focal point through the artist's use of color, creating a striking contrast against the deep earth tones used in the surroundings. Ufer elongates the depth of field through his arrangement of stacked adobes, which feature the dark terracotta color that is synonymous with Taos.
John Moran Auctioneers
Nov. 01, 2022
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) February Sun 16 x 20 in. framed 22 1/2 x 26 1/2 in.
Est: $100,000 - $150,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) February Sun signed 'WUfer' (lower left) and signed again and titled twice (on the stretcher bar) oil on canvas 16 x 20 in. framed 22 1/2 x 26 1/2 in. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Nov. 01, 2022
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) A Storm Brewing 16 x 20 in. framed 24 x 28 in.
Est: $120,000 - $180,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) A Storm Brewing signed 'WUfer' (lower right) and signed again and titled (on the stretcher bar) oil on canvas 16 x 20 in. framed 24 x 28 in. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Nov. 01, 2022
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico 25 x 30 in. framed 29 1/2 x 34 1/2 in.
Est: $200,000 - $300,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico signed 'WUfer' (lower right) oil on canvas 25 x 30 in. framed 29 1/2 x 34 1/2 in. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Nov. 01, 2022
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) The Water Women 30 x 30 in. framed 41 x 41 in.
Est: $250,000 - $350,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) The Water Women signed 'WUfer' (lower right) and signed again and titled (on the stretcher bar) oil on canvas 30 x 30 in. framed 41 x 41 in. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Apr. 15, 2022
Walter Ufer, Four Life Studies
Est: $800 - $1,200
Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936) Four Life Studies Standing Male graphite and charcoal on paper 24 x 15 in. (60.96 x 38.10 cm.), Frame: 30 x 21 x 3/4 in. (76.20 x 53.34 x 1.91 cm.) Standing Male Leaning on Pole charcoal on paper24 x 15 in. (60.96 x 38.10 cm.), Frame: 30 x 21 x 3/4 in. (76.20 x 53.34 x 1.91 cm.) Male Standing with Hands Clasped charcoal on paper signed lower right: Walter Ufer / Chicago24 x 18 7/8 in. (60.96 x 47.94 cm.) Male Seated with Pole in Left Hand charcoal on paper 24 x 18 5/8 in. (60.96 x 47.31 cm.) Provenance: A Private Family Foundation* *All proceeds of sale from this artwork benefit a private charitable foundation (501c3) dedicated to supporting local arts communities and families in need.
Santa Fe Art Auction
Apr. 12, 2022
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) One October Evening 10 3/4 x 12 1/4 in. framed 16 x 16 in.
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) One October Evening signed and dated 'W. Ufer 13.' (lower left) and signed and dated again and titled (on the reverse) oil on canvas affixed to artist's board 10 3/4 x 12 1/4 in. framed 16 x 16 in. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Aug. 04, 2021
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) The Washerwoman 25 x 30in framed 31 x 35 1/2in
Est: $200,000 - $300,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) The Washerwoman signed 'WUfer' (lower right), signed again and titled twice (on the stretcher bars) oil on canvas 25 x 30in framed 31 x 35 1/2in For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Jul. 15, 2021
Walter Ufer, Old Santa Fe Road, Poster
Est: $45 - $60
Artist: Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936) Title: Old Santa Fe Road Year: 2002 Medium: Poster Size: 28 x 23 in. (71.12 x 58.42 cm)
RoGallery
May. 28, 2021
Walter Ufer, Old Santa Fe Road, Poster
Est: $120 - $150
Artist: Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936) Title: Old Santa Fe Road Year: 2002 Medium: Poster Image Size: Size: 28 x 23 in. (71.12 x 58.42 cm)
RoGallery
May. 25, 2021
Walter Ufer, (1876-1936, Taos, NM), Pueblo scene with figure, Oil on waxed lined canvas, 20" H x 26" W
Est: $15,000 - $20,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936, Taos, NM) Pueblo scene with figure Oil on waxed lined canvas Signed verso: W. Ufer 20" H x 26" W Provenance: Private Collection, Santa Barbara ,California Notes: Water Ufer is a celebrated draftsman and colorist best known for his honest depictions of Native Americans during a time when other artists romanticized their culture. Born in Germany but raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Ufer returned to Germany several times to study art in Hamburg, the Royal Academy in Dresden, and Munich. He returned to the U.S., settling in Chicago, where he worked as a commercial artist and portrait painter. The pull of the Southwest was so great that the artist eventually relocated to Taos and became an elected member of the Taos Society of Artists. The present work offers a rare insight into the artist's painting process. He creates a level of depth within the work with his bold, confident paint strokes. His use of a monochromatic palette allows the viewer's eye to wander throughout the scene to eventually land on the central figure, becoming a focal point using bright green, making a striking contrast against the deep earth tones used in the surroundings. Ufer is elongating the depth of field with his stacked adobes using the dark terracotta color that is synonymous with Taos.
John Moran Auctioneers
Apr. 17, 2021
Walter Ufer, Three Drawings
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936) Two Drawings (One Double-Sided) Double Sided Drawing Male Standing with Back to Viewer Holding Pole Male Standing with Arms Folded charcoal on paper Dimensions: 25 1/2 x 17 in Male Bending Forward charcoal on paper Dimensions: 24 3/4 x 18 3/4 in Provenance: A Private Family Foundation* *All proceeds of sale from this artwork benefit a private charitable foundation (501c3) dedicated to supporting local arts communities and families in need.
Santa Fe Art Auction
Apr. 17, 2021
Walter Ufer, Two Drawings
Est: $800 - $1,200
Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936) Two Drawings Female Seated on Stool charcoal on paper Dimensions: 24 3/8 x 18 3/4 in Standing Female Nude charcoal on paper Dimensions: 23 3/4 x 15 in Framed Dimensions: 30 x 21 1/4 x 3/4 in A Private Family Foundation* *All proceeds of sale from this artwork benefit a private charitable foundation (501c3) dedicated to supporting local arts communities and families in need.
Santa Fe Art Auction
Apr. 04, 2021
Walter Ufer Canvas Mounted
Est: $18,000 - $20,000
Walter Ufer o/ canvas mounted 14"x18"
1stBid
Feb. 26, 2021
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Isleta, New Mexico 30 x 25in framed 39 3/8 x 34 1/2in (Painted circa 1915.)
Est: $125,000 - $175,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Isleta, New Mexico signed with conjoined letters and titled 'WUfer / Isleta NM.' (lower right) oil on canvas laid to linen 30 x 25in framed 39 3/8 x 34 1/2in Painted circa 1915. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
May. 30, 2020
Walter Ufer, Three Drawings
Est: $1,500 - $3,000
Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936) Three Drawings Double Sided Drawing Male Standing with Back to Viewer Holding Pole Male Standing with Arms Folded charcoal on paper Dimensions: 25 1/2 x 17 in Male Bending Forward charcoal on paper Dimensions: 24 3/4 x 18 3/4 in Provenance: A Private Family Foundation* *All proceeds of sale from this artwork benefit a private charitable foundation (501c3) dedicated to supporting local arts communities and families in need.
Santa Fe Art Auction
May. 30, 2020
Walter Ufer, Female Seated on Stool
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936) Female Seated on Stool charcoal on paper Dimensions: 24 3/8 x 18 3/4 in Provenance: A Private Family Foundation* *All proceeds of sale from this artwork benefit a private charitable foundation (501c3) dedicated to supporting local arts communities and families in need.
Santa Fe Art Auction
May. 30, 2020
Walter Ufer, Standing Female Nude
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936) Standing Female Nude charcoal on paper Dimensions: 23 3/4 x 15 in Framed Dimensions: 30 x 21 1/4 x 3/4 in Provenance: A Private Family Foundation* *All proceeds of sale from this artwork benefit a private charitable foundation (501c3) dedicated to supporting local arts communities and families in need.
Santa Fe Art Auction
Apr. 25, 2020
Walter Ufer New Mexico Landscape 1876-1936
Est: $100,000 - $150,000
Walter Ufer 1876-1936 O/C Landscape Painting. Measures 23" x 24" Walter Ufer was active/lived in New Mexico. Walter Ufer is known for social realist landscape, figure, portrait and Indian genre painting, lithography. Provenance: Private Collection. Walter Ufer used a very intimate moment in the evening painting this split of a river with purple accents, very rare.
RB Fine Arts
Dec. 08, 2019
Walter Ufer, Old Santa Fe Road, Poster
Est: $30 - $60
Artist: Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936) Title: Old Santa Fe Road Portfolio: Year: 2002 Medium: Poster Edition: Image Size: Size: 28 x 23 in. (71.12 x 58.42 cm) Frame Size: Printer: Publisher: Reference:
RoGallery
Nov. 25, 2019
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Portrait of Mrs. Walter Wardrop 47 x 37in (Painted in 1918.)
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Portrait of Mrs. Walter Wardrop signed 'W. Ufer' (lower right) oil on canvas 47 x 37in Painted in 1918. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Nov. 20, 2019
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) - Indian Mother, Isleta
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Indian Mother, Isleta oil on canvas 30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm.)
Christie's
Oct. 13, 2019
Walter Ufer, Old Santa Fe Road, Poster
Est: $40 - $60
Artist: Walter Ufer (1876 - 1936) Title: Old Santa Fe Road Year: 2002 Medium: Poster Size: 28 x 23 in. (71.12 x 58.42 cm)
RoGallery
May. 31, 2019
Ray Roberts | Superstition Mountain
Est: $500 - $1,000
Artist: Ray Roberts | b. 1954 PAPA CAC Title: Superstition Mountain Unsigned Media: Oil on canvas board Dimensions: 9 by 12 inches No Reserve
Altermann Galleries
May. 22, 2019
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Tom and Jim oil on canvas 25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm.)
Est: $500,000 - $700,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Tom and Jim signed 'WUfer' (lower right) oil on canvas 25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm.) Painted circa 1930.
Christie's
Mar. 29, 2019
Walter Ufer | Standing Female Model
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Artist: Walter Ufer | 1876 - 1936 NA, TSA Title: Standing Female Model Signed l/r: Walter Ufer April 1901 Media: Graphite on paper Dimensions: 24 by 15 1/2 inches
Altermann Galleries
Mar. 29, 2019
Walter Ufer | Standing Male Model
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Artist: Walter Ufer | 1876 - 1936 NA, TSA Title: Standing Male Model Unsigned Media: Graphite on paper Dimensions: 24 by 15 1/4 inches
Altermann Galleries
Feb. 08, 2019
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Lone Rider in Old Santa Fe 25 x 30in
Est: $100,000 - $150,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Lone Rider in Old Santa Fe signed 'WUfer' (lower left)oil on canvas25 x 30in Provenance: Sale, Jim Fowler's Period Gallery West, Phoenix, Arizona, October 23, 1983, lot 360.Acquired by the late owner from the above.Literature: S.H. McGarry, Honoring The Western Tradition: The L.D. "Brink" Brinkman Collection, Kerrville, Texas, 2003, p. 81, illustrated.Born in Huckeswagen, Germany, and raised by immigrant parents in Louisville, Kentucky, Walter Ufer was a notable draftsman and colorist. During his formative years, Ufer apprenticed as a lithographer, only deciding on painting as a profession after visiting the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Thereafter he traveled to Germany to study academic realism, training in Hamburg and the Royal Academy in Dresden. Returning stateside in 1900, he worked as an illustrator, printer, portrait painter, and taught art classes in Chicago, but within a year relocated to Munich in 1911 to further his artistic endeavors. In 1914, Ufer once again found himself in Chicago attracting the attention of the city's mayor, Carter Harrison, for his artistic talents. Fatefully, Harrison awarded Ufer with a subsidized trip to Taos, which would become Ufer's permanent home by 1917.Taos, in the form of fellow artists and the inspiring light of New Mexico, transformed his work. Like his fellow European-trained artists who flocked to Taos, Ufer abandoned studio methods in favor of direct sunlight in the expansive, untamed land of the American Southwest. His New Mexico repertoire consisted of genre scenes of Native Americans and Taos inhabitants engaged in daily activities. He also mastered the essence, anatomy, and dynamism of horses, favoring representations of riders on horseback crossing brilliant landscapes.In Lone Rider in Old Santa Fe, Ufer upends the typical depictions of the Southwest for something more quotidian. A rider on his mule on a dirt road. The rider in question is fellow Taos founder Ernest Martin Hennings. The younger man, Hennings admired Ufer both artistically and politically. They studied in Munich at the same time and even lived in the same apartment building in Chicago prior. Hennings followed Ufer's lead to Taos and both artists focused on creating authentic depictions of Taos and the native inhabitants. The painting is a masterful contradiction of a romantic portrayal and showcases Ufer's use of painterly brushstrokes, saturated natural light, and a vivid, high-keyed palette. The composition is a series of roughly diagonal bands. The brightest light is the sun-washed triangle that makes up the foreground lower left with a few rocks and dabs of green to break up the creamy browns and tans of the earth. The second diagonal is composed of the shadows cast by a tree not depicted in the actual painting, the rider and his mule and the pitched roof structure further up the hill. The third diagonal, defined again with the slope of the roof consists of the brilliant cloud-dotted sky and the intense vibrant greens and blues of the trees which make up the entire upper right quadrant of the picture. Ufer's brushwork combines with his mastery of color to convey not just atmosphere but movement as well. The dust kicked up by the mule's feet is so very subtle and the mule's shadow courses over the ground almost unconsciously impressing on the viewer the unhurried gait of the mule. This unity of color and brushwork is not accidental. Lone Rider in Old Santa Fe is emblematic of advice he gave his students, "Treat things as a whole. The horse becomes a part of the mesa and takes on the colors of the mesa." The rider and the landscape are one entity.1 In this case, the colors of the rider's pants and saddle are the same as those in the leaves of the trees and their shadows. Similarly, the colors in the tree trunk are found in the mule and the rider's jacket. The Lone Rider in Old Santa Fe demonstrates exactly how much can be extracted from the crisp New Mexico light by the eye of a supremely talented painter. 1 P. J. Broder, Taos: A Painter's Dream, New York Graphic Society, Boston, 1980, p. 228.
Bonhams
Nov. 10, 2018
Walter Ufer , Pair of Figure Studies
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Walter Ufer , Pair of Figure Studies
Santa Fe Art Auction
Nov. 10, 2018
Walter Ufer , Pair of Figure Studies
Est: -
Walter Ufer , Pair of Figure Studies
Santa Fe Art Auction
Nov. 10, 2018
Walter Ufer , Pair of Figure Studies
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
Walter Ufer , Pair of Figure Studies
Santa Fe Art Auction
Nov. 08, 2018
WALTER UFER (AMERICAN, 1876-1936) AT EASE, 1926 OIL ON CANVAS LAID ON BOARD 10-5
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
Walter Ufer (American, 1876-1936) At Ease, 1926 Oil on canvas laid on board 10-5/8 x 12-1/4 inches (27.0 x 31.1 cm) Signed lower right: W. Ufer Signed and titled on the reverse: At Ease / W. Ufer PROVENANCE: The artist; Walter Louis Cohrs, acquired from the above, 1926; Virginia Cohrs White, by bequest from the above, 1977; Private collection, Desoto, Texas, by bequest from the above, 2013. EXHIBITED: [possibly]Georgian Hotel, Evanston, Illinois, December 6, 1926. When the 38-year-old painter Walter Ufer first arrived in Taos in 1914, he finally discovered the subject that would bring him national acclaim: the Pueblo Indian. In Taos, Ufer reconnected with his Académie Julian fellow students Ernest Blumenschein and Joseph Henry Sharp, two of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists that Ufer would officially join in 1917. Where Blumenschein specialized in the New Mexican landscape, and Sharp, in portraits of Indians in traditional ceremonial dress, Ufer focused on genre scenes of the modern-day Indian. His longtime affiliation with the Socialist Party made him especially attuned to opportunities for the laboring class, and, accordingly, his new art celebrated the Taos Indian at work. Ufer explained, "I paint the Indian as he is. In the garden digging--in the field working--riding among the sage--meeting his woman in the desert-angling for trout-in meditation. . . . I believe that if America gets a national art, it will come more from the Southwest. . . . We live a happy life here, with Indians daily at our table" (T. Smith, ed., A Place in the Sun: The Southwest Paintings of Walter Ufer and E. Martin Hennings, Norman, Oklahoma, 2016, p. 151). Elevating women and men alike, Ufer's early paintings monumentalize women carrying pots of water, baking bread in outdoor adobe ovens, or guarding the entrance to the pueblo, and men, planting gardens, harvesting corn, saddling up for an excursion, or resting after a hot day in the sun. Borrowing from the realist, or "psychological," type of portraiture he had studied at the Munich Academy, Ufer has many of his subjects gaze directly at the viewer, extending an invitation into their everyday activities, or at least positioning themselves as equals. His concept for a new American art rested not on the stereotype of the Indians as a vanishing people, but rather on the reality of their contemporary experiences. He stated in an interview, "The Indian is not a fantastic figure. He resents being regarded as a curiosity--as a dingleberry on a tree. He is intelligent and a good businessman. He reads the good magazines and newspapers, and he is quick to challenge any false statement about himself or his life" (Smith, p. 147). Ufer's interpretation of the modern Indian garnered him numerous exhibition awards back East, and between 1916-26, major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, and Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., acquired his works for their collections. Ufer's numerous paintings of the Taos Indian Jim Mirabal, his favorite model and close friend, demonstrate his method of blending psychological realism and inventive design. As early as 1918, and throughout the 1920s, he depicted Jim with his signature chiseled face and long braids in a variety of guises as a gardener, musician, and transporter of goods, sometimes on horseback and frequently with his daughter. At Ease,1926 exemplifies Ufer's portraits of Jim from the 1920s, which helped him achieve his vision for a national art. Ufer presents Jim as a contemporary Taos resident, dressed in store-bought denim pants and a red buttoned up shirt and tie, rather than as a stereotyped Indian in ceremonial garb. Jim engages the viewer with a direct gaze and casual posture upon his chestnut horse. Ufer offsets this intense psychological profile of Jim with the brilliant, sun-drenched setting of sagebrush. A master of design, he uses a bright red pigment to direct the viewer's attention to the focal point, Jim, set against the peaceful backdrop of his native land. True to Ufer's progressive philosophy, At Ease, 1926 employs a modernist idiom to capture a present-day American. Two letters by the artist to Walter Louis Cohrs, dated December 1926, as well as an original invitation to the Georgian Hotel reception and exhibition, accompany the present work. HID04901242017
Heritage Auctions
Mar. 17, 2018
Walter Ufer, oil on canvas
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) French Peasant Woman 21 ½" x 17 ¾" oil on canvas Signed lower left $15,000-25,000 Provenance: Ex Bokelman Collection.
March In Montana
Jan. 11, 2018
Walter Ufer Attributed Pencil Drawing
Est: $200 - $400
Frame: 41.5" x 36" image sight: 27.75" x 22.5" has a tear on left side, by main figure's head, man to further right has tear by arm, tear at upper right corner.
Applebrook Auctions
Oct. 22, 2017
Walter Ufer (1876-1936)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Artist: Walter Ufer Title: Male Nude Signature: Signed bottom right Size: Artwork: 24 x 16 Frame: 33 3/4 x 26 3/4 Created: 1897 Medium: Charcoal on paper (two-sided) **
Turner Auctions + Appraisals
May. 23, 2017
WALTER UFER | The American Desert
Est: $40,000 - $60,000
oil on canvas
Sotheby's
Apr. 08, 2017
Walter Ufer - Riding Through Isleta
Est: $200,000 - $400,000
Walter Ufer
Scottsdale Art Auction, LLC
Jan. 24, 2017
Walter Ufer (1876-1936 Taos, NM)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Native American walking with a horse across a landscape, signed lower right: W Ufer, oil pastel on board under glass, sight size: 4.75'' H x 7.75'' W, est: $1000/1500. Note: Board size: 5'' H x 8'' W.
John Moran Auctioneers
Nov. 12, 2016
Walter Ufer (American, 1876-1936) A Ride in Autumn Oil
Est: $300,000 - $500,000
Walter Ufer (American, 1876-1936) A Ride in Autumn Oil on canvas 20 x 25 inches (50.8 x 63.5 cm) Signed lower right: W Ufer Signed and titled indistinctly on the stretcher: A Ride in Autumn by W Ufer PROVENANCE: Newhouse Gallery, New York; Private collection, Texas. When the 38-year-old painter Walter Ufer first arrived in Taos in 1914, he finally discovered the subject that would bring him national acclaim: the Pueblo Indian. In Taos, Ufer reconnected with his Académie Julian fellow students Ernest Blumenschein and Joseph Henry Sharp, two of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists that Ufer would officially join in 1917. Where Blumenschein specialized in the New Mexican landscape, and Sharp, in portraits of Indians in traditional ceremonial dress, Ufer focused on genre scenes of the modern-day Indian. His longtime affiliation with the Socialist Party made him especially attuned to opportunities for the laboring class, and, accordingly, his new art celebrated the Taos Indian at work. Ufer explained, "I paint the Indian as he is. In the garden digging--in the field working--riding among the sage--meeting his woman in the desert-angling for trout-in meditation. . . . I believe that if America gets a national art, it will come more from the Southwest. . . . We live a happy life here, with Indians daily at our table" (T. Smith, ed., A Place in the Sun: The Southwest Paintings of Walter Ufer and E. Martin Hennings, Norman, Oklahoma, 2016, p. 151). Elevating women and men alike, Ufer's early paintings monumentalize women carrying pots of water, baking bread in outdoor adobe ovens, or guarding the entrance to the pueblo, and men, planting gardens, harvesting corn, saddling up for an excursion, or resting after a hot day in the sun. Borrowing from the realist, or "psychological," type of portraiture he had studied at the Munich Academy, Ufer has many of his subjects gaze directly at the viewer, extending an invitation into their everyday activities, or at least positioning themselves as equals. His concept for a new American art rested not on the stereotype of the Indians as a vanishing people, but rather on the reality of their contemporary experiences. He stated in an interview, "The Indian is not a fantastic figure. He resents being regarded as a curiosity--as a dingleberry on a tree. He is intelligent and a good businessman. He reads the good magazines and newspapers, and he is quick to challenge any false statement about himself or his life" (Smith, p. 147). Ufer's interpretation of the modern Indian garnered him numerous exhibition awards back East, and between 1916-26, major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, and Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., acquired his works for their collections. Ufer's numerous paintings of the Taos Indian Jim Mirabal, his favorite model and close friend, demonstrate his method of blending psychological realism and inventive design. As early as 1918, and throughout the 1920s, he depicted Jim with his signature chiseled face and long braids in a variety of guises as a gardener, musician, and transporter of goods, sometimes on horseback and frequently with his daughter. A Ride in Autumn exemplifies Ufer's portraits of Jim from the 1920s, which helped him achieve his vision for a national art. Ufer presents Jim as a contemporary Taos resident, dressed in store-bought boots, khaki pants, denim shirt, and cowboy hat, rather than as a stereotyped Indian in ceremonial garb. Jim engages the viewer directly with a serious look and from an elevated position on his chestnut horse, connoting his authority. Ufer offsets this intense psychological profile of Jim with the brilliant, sun-drenched setting. A master of design, he also contrasts the more monochromatic passages of Jim's clothing and the horse's coat with the intricately patterned screen of yellow aspens and the mottled, shadowed ground. In turn, the flattened bands of turquoise sky and cerulean Sangre de Christo Mountains in the background heighten the lacy effect of the aspens. Ufer's alla prima technique, creating a sensation of movement, is especially visible in the gestural, impastoed tree leaves. Together, the fluttering leaves, shifting shadows, and walking horse make the composition dynamic. While recalling a favorite subject of his friend and colleague E. Martin Hennings--Indians on horseback weaving in and out of aspen trees--Ufer's A Ride in Autumn is not idealized or universalized. Rather, true to his progressive philosophy, it employs a modernist idiom to capture a present-day American.
Heritage Auctions
May. 29, 2015
Walter Ufer (American, 1876-1936), Navajo Woman, Signed "w ufer" l.r., Condition: Craquelure, horizontal striations, surface grime., Oi
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
Walter Ufer (American, 1876-1936) Navajo Woman Signed "w ufer" l.r. Oil on canvas, 28 x 22 3/4 in. (71.0 x 57.8 cm), framed. Condition: Craquelure, horizontal striations, surface grime.
Skinner
Nov. 19, 2014
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Trailing Homeward oil on canvas 20 x 25 ¼ in. (50.8
Est: $400,000 - $600,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Trailing Homeward oil on canvas 20 x 25 ¼ in. (50.8 x 64.1 cm.)
Christie's
Jul. 26, 2014
Walter Ufer (1876-1936)
Est: $100,000 - $200,000
Autumn in Taos Canyon
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction
Dec. 05, 2013
Walter Ufer (1876-1936)
Est: $300,000 - $500,000
Walter Ufer (1876-1936) >End of a Perfect Day <br>signed 'WUfer' (lower left)--signed again and inscribed with title (on the stretcher) >oil on canvas <br>25 x 30Â¼ in. (63.5 x 76.8 cm.) >Painted in 1920. <br>
Christie's