Collections

Art of the West in the Americas

Navajo, Early Ganado Rug
Navajo, Early Ganado Rug, ca. 1900

Native American Art

Basketry, textiles, pottery, Kachinas, jewelry, and utilitarian objects, have been a collecting theme of the museum since its origin in 1938 and remain one of the main collecting and installation focuses.

The historical holdings of approximately 2000 objects are concentrated almost exclusively on, California, Western, and Southwestern Native nations spanning from the 19th century complemented by a growing collection of works by contemporary Native American artists including Gerald Clarke, Dan Namingha, and Cara Romero.

Dolores Saneva Patencio, Cahuilla/Cupeño, Agua Caliente Reservation Large Olla Storage Basket
Dolores Saneva Patencio, Cahuilla/Cupeño, Agua Caliente Reservation, Large Olla Storage Basket, ca. 1910
Lupe Alberras, Cahuilla, Santa Rose Reservation, Rain and Sun Eagle Basket
Lupe Alberras, Cahuilla, Santa Rose Reservation, Rain and Sun Eagle Basket, ca. 1910
poli mana, butterfly maiden
Poli Mana (Butterfly Maiden), 1920
Blossom Nez Yeh, Navajo Windway Sandpainting Textile, Wind People Dressed (clothed) in Snakes
Blossom Nez Yeh, Navajo, Navajo Windway Sandpainting Textile, Wind People Dressed (clothed) in Snakes, 1920-23
Dan Namingha, Coming of Winter
Dan Namingha, Coming of Winter, 1976
Dan Namingha, Desert Arch I
Dan Namingha, Desert Arch 1, 2008
Gerald Clarke, Continuum Basket: Pivat (Tobacco)
Gerald Clarke, Continuum Basket: Pivat (Tobacco), 2018
Cara Romero, First American Girl Series: "Naomi"
Cara Romero, First American Girl Series: “Naomi”, 2018

Pre-Columbian

The Pre-Columbian Collection consists of approximately 250 objects—primarily ceramics from Mexico’s Western region with examples representing additional ancient cultures from Mesoamerica to South America regions.

Pre-Columbian, Zapotec, Oaxaca, Monte Alban IIIA, Mortuary Urn
Zapotec, Oaxaca, Monte Alban IIIA, Mortuary Urn, Pre-Columbian, 200-450 CE
Colima Vessel
Colima Vessel with Anthropomorphic Form, 200 BCE - 200 CE

Art of the West in the Americas

Holdings of works by North American artists from the nineteenth century to modern and contemporary interpretations of western themes comprise approximately 2,150 art works including paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, furniture, and other decorative arts. 

Areas of special concentration include classic Western American painting and sculpture, regional desert paintings, California plein air paintings, and modern and contemporary artworks. Paintings, works on paper, and sculptures by Mexican Modernists and contemporary artists are also represented.

Carleton Watkins, Yosemite Valley, Half Dome from Glacier Point
Carleton Watkins, Yosemite Valley, Half Dome from Glacier Point, 1866
Lockwood De Forest, Mount San Jacinto from near Palm Springs
Lockwood De Forest, Mount San Jacinto from near Palm Springs, 1912
thomas moran, grand canyon
Thomas Moran, Grand Canyon (Mist in the Canyon), 1915
David Alfaro Siqueiros, Marcha Revolucionaria (Revolutionary March or Protest)
David Alfaro Siqueiros, Marcha Revolucionaria (Revolutionary March or Protest), 1935
charles marion russel, roping a prairie wolf
Charles Marion Russell, Roping a Prairie Wolf, 1904
Agnes Pelton, Seeds of date
Agnes Pelton, Seeds of Date, 1935
Eva Slater, San Jacinto Mountains
Eva Slater, San Jacinto Mountains, 1960
Agnes Pelton, Smoke Trees
Agnes Pelton, Smoke Trees in a Draw, 1950
Gunther Gerzso, White Red Green (rojo y blanco)
Gunther Gerzso, White Red Green (Rojo y Blanco), 1964
Llyn Foulkes, The Last Outpost
Llyn Foulkes, The Last Outpost, 1983
Armando Lerma (formerly Datefarmers), Shoplifter
Armando Lerma, Shoplifter, 2014
stephen h willard, silent interlude
Stephen H. Willard, Silent Interlude, 1948
Stephen H. Willard, San Jacinto from Devils Garden
Stephen H. Willard, San Jacinto from Devils Garden, 1937

These holdings are importantly augmented by the Stephen H. Willard Photography Collection & Archive of desert photography from the artist’s estate of over 14,000 items comprised of original glass negatives, photographic equipment, and photo-paintings.

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