An Oscar Howe painting, "Sioux Bear Dancer," circa 1954

Oscar Howe
Yanktonai Dakota, (1915-1983), "Sioux Bear Dancer," casein on paper under glass, signed lower right: Oscar Howe, inscribed in blue ink verso: #218 / "Sioux Bear Dancer" / by / Oscar Howe / of / Mitchell, So. Dak / $ [crossed out].
paper: height 17 1/4in, width 12 1/2in; sight: height 16 3/4in x width 11 3/4in
Provenance
Property from a Southwestern Estate

In 2022, a major exhibition titled "Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe" opened at the National Museum of the American Indian, New York which reintroduced Howe's work to contemporary audiences. The exhibition subsequently traveled to the Portland Art Museum in Oregon and the South Dakota Art Museum at South Dakota State University. For a thorough overview of the artist and his work, see Ash-Milby, Katherine and Anthes, Bill, editors, Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe, 2022, National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC. Although the present lot is undated, the stylistic execution bears strong similarities to similar works executed over the mid- to late-1950s. Howe and his family lived in Mitchell, South Dakota between 1948-1952, and subsequently would return every summer; between 1948 and 1971 he designed outdoor murals for the town's Corn Palace, decorated with subjects that often emphasized the shared values and connections between the Native and non-Native people of South Dakota.