15: FRANCIS BLACKBEAR BOSIN (1921-1980) PUBLISHED PAINTING

Francis Blackbear Bosin (1921-1980)
Shalako Dancers (Third quarter of the 20th century.)
The artist's record of a kachina dance and the regalia of dancers painted in gouache on artist's illustration board is signed by the artist lower left front.


This work is published on page 10 of Blackbear Bosin: Keeper of the Indian Spirit by David Simmonds, Ph.D. published by Carriage Factory Gallery, Newton, Kansas Fine Arts Association Inc, 2012.

The following is taken from the book's dust jacket, A self-taught artist, Blackbear Bosin (1921-1980) immortalized the spirit of a bygone era in his art. He rose to national prominence after his award winning painting Prairie Fire was published in National Geographic magazine in 1955. His works were exhibited at museums across the country, including the National Gallery and Smithsonian Institution, and in 1965 he was the only American Indian invited to the White House Festival of Arts. His sculpture Keeper of the Plains stands majestically in Wichita, Kansas, at the confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas rivers, considered a sacred place by Native Americans.

Provenance: 'Blackbear Bosin married my mother, Nola Roena Simmonds, on Thanksgiving, 1953. I was eight years old at the time. He moved into our home in the Riverside area of Wichita, Kansas. With him came many paintings he had completed, and they hung in our home for many years. This painting, Kachina Dances, was one of the paintings I fondly remember from our home during my youth. The painting is undated.' David W. Simmonds, Stepson of Blackbear Bosin, April 30, 2011.

Exhibitions: Festival of Arts, White House, Wash., DC, 1965; Whitney Gallery of Western Art, 1966; Nat. Indian Ann., Philbrook Art Ctr., 1967; Heard Mus., 1967; Wichita Art Assn., 1971. Awards: Grand award, Philbrook Art Ctr., 1959-1963; Waite Phillips Special Indian Artists Award, 1967.


Member: Wichita Artists Guild (v. pres., 1963-1966); Wichita Advertising Assn.


Work: Wichita Art Mus.; Wichita Art Assn.; Philbrook Art Ctr.; Heard Mus., Phoenix; Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Cody, WY. Commissions: sculpture design for city, Kansas Gas & Electric, Wichita, 1969; mural, commissioned by Schafer, Schirmer & Eflin for Farmers Credit Land Bank, Wichita, 1972; painting, Southern Plains Mus., Anadarko, 1972.
Image measures 13.75 x 17.5 with a framed size of 25.25 x 27.75 inches.
Very good original untouched condition. There are no issues of scratches, losses, stain, repair, in-painting or touch-up.
Provenance: The Susan Koehn Estate Trust Newton, Kansas
$1,000 - $1,500