The Prince of Monaco Joined Art Patrons, Collectors, Philanthropists and Western Enthusiasts in Cody, Wyoming, September 17th-21st
Tucson, Arizona (PRWEB) September 25, 2013 -- The Buffalo Bill Center for the West Art Auction & Sale was held this week in conjunction with the Center's Patrons Ball and Cody High Style, all part of Cody, Wyoming's annual "Rendezvous Royale Immerse Yourself in the Arts." Renowned artist Allan Mardon was one of over 100 artists featured as Western enthusiasts from around the world flocked to this 32nd annual event which raised an estimated $2.5 million.
Prince Albert II of Monaco was in Cody for Rendezvous Royale, commemorating the 100th year anniversary of the visit of his great-great-grandfather, Albert I, who camped and hunted with William “Buffalo Bill” Cody in the nearby Pryor Mountains.
Over 900 people participated in the main auction event on Friday, held in a beautifully decorated party tent adjacent to the Whitney Museum of Western Art. Guests viewed the full exhibition of over 100 spectacular original oil paintings, pastels, watercolors and bronze sculptures, and then enjoyed local cuisine and beverages during the spirited, four-hour auction.
Mardon’s painting “Legend of the Blue Horse” was one of the highlights of the live auction, secured amidst vigorous bidding at the last moment by a remote participant. The 40 x 52 inch colorful oil on linen canvas with custom frame portrays the deep, spiritual connection between a young Apsaalooke Crow boy and his Pryor Mountain mustang. It is a story of great faith overcoming greed. Legend has it that the boy sang four special songs to escape a threatening enemy, enabling their dramatic flight across Dry Head Canyon.
The story behind the painting began in 2009, when Mr. Mardon’s business partner, Ted Larsen, of Nighthorses Fine Art & Publishing, met an unassuming, elderly Native American during an impromptu breakfast in a local Cody restaurant. For four years Mr. Larsen carried “Joe’s story” scribbled on the back of a paper placemat, intuitively knowing he had been entrusted with a previously undocumented legend important to the Crow culture, and the makings of a terrific narrative painting. Mardon did the painting in early 2013, followed by 15 colorful illustrations when Larsen suggested they produce a companion children’s book, Legend of the Blue Horse.
In addition to Legend of the Blue Horse, Mardon donated the painting “Pryor Mountain Ponies” for the silent auction to benefit the Center of the West. Captured on 26 x 26 inch oil on canvas with custom frame, the two painted mustangs are of the most significant wild horse breed in the United States, unique to Montana and Wyoming. Mardon’s work “832F” was in the juried Opening Miniature Show and Sale, a 11 x 14 inch oil on native birch board. The wolf known as 832F to researchers was the alpha female of Yellowstone Park’s highly visible Lamar Canyon pack. The animal was tourist favorite for many years had been one of the most photographed wild animals in the Park’s history. 832F and was the first wolf to have on obituary published in the New York Times.
About Allan Mardon:
After retiring from a long and successful career as an illustrator in New York City, Allan Mardon began a series of paintings depicting the history and culture of Native Americans. Employing a primitive and narrative style inspired by the graphic beauty and legends of the Southwest, his paintings have been recognized by many of the major collectors and premier museums in this country. The Battle of Greasy Grass, Mardon's highly-acclaimed, mural-size depiction of the twenty-four hour Battle of Little Big Horn, graces the permanent collection of the Whitney Gallery of Western Art in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.
Mardon is in the midst of painting a second large epic narrative piece due for completion in 2014. It is focused on the charged positioning of the US Cavalry amidst the passive Sioux tribe prior to the tragic altercation at Wounded Knee. Mardon’s recent endeavors include the book The Narrative Art of Allan Mardon, and eight paintings which debuted at the Bradford Brinton Memorial & Museum in Big Horn, Wyoming in late 2012. The show was called “A Sharper View of the West”, done in conjunction with Nighthorses Fine Art & Publishing founder, Ted Larsen, himself an artisan of collectible Damascus steel knives. Several of these paintings continued on tour to Jackson, Wyoming, to The Turpin Gallery.
Allan Mardon lives in the historic Barrio District of Tucson, Arizona, and is represented worldwide by Nighthorses Fine Art & Publishing. His 2009 book The Narrative Art of Allan Mardon is available in hard bound, perfect bound and a leather bound, limited Collector’s Edition in library presentation box with a unique piece of art. Elegant notecards of a selection of twelve classic Mardon paintings are also available. http://www.nighthorses.com
Ted Larsen, Nighthorses, +1 877.544.2580, [email protected]
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