Fine Western Art Collections
West Lives On Gallery
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Nicholas Eggenhofer
1897 - 1985 |
Nick Eggenhofer was one of the last
members of the generation of western artists who came to maturity in
the years following the death of Remington and Russell.
Born in Bavaria, Eggenhofer maintained that his interest in the
American West was kindled by exposure to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show
and the popular literature of the West, which circulated in his native
Germany. He immigrated to America in 1913 and within three years
enrolled in classes in New York City, where he studied to be a
commercial artist and illustrator. He absorbed all he could about he
American West and in 1920, sold his first western illustrations to a
popular magazine.
Five years later, after building a moderately successful career as an
illustrator, Eggenhofer finally got the opportunity to see the
region about which he had dreamed since his youth. He loaded camping
gear on a Model T Ford and drove overland to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
When he finally returned to the East, he built a log cabin in Milford,
New Jersey, and decorated it with western memorabilia. He frequently
approached a particular assignment by doing careful research in the
New York libraries, and he was known to be a stickler for accurate
detail as well as a recognized historian on some aspects of western
history.
In addition to the lengthy research he often performed for a
commission, Eggenhofer made scale models of some of his compositions
in order to make them as accurate as possible. This in itself was not
new, since artists in the past had made such models, but it reflects
the concern that many of these artists had for the ultimate accuracy
of their vision. The artist often employed a very broad color range,
often placing stick-like strokes of pure color side by side so as to
create an animated effect. Eggenhofer’s oft-repeated quotes about
then necessity of telling a story in such works also bears a close
relationship to Charles M. Russell’s example, and this work follow
that approach with very satisfactory results.
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"The Pinecliff Wagon"
mixed media
• 9" x 15"
$10,500 |
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"Smoke Signals"
pen & ink
• 12" x 18" • $6,900
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