SANTA FE, N.M. — Southwestern paintings infused with the spirit and electrified color of Pop Art took the lead at Altermann Auction’s two-day sale of mostly Western and Native American art August 11–12 at the firm’s gallery just off Canyon Road, the center of Santa Fe’s art district.

Leading sales was “Beef Issue at Fort Sill” by T.C. Cannon (shown above), an Oklahoma -born artist of Native American descent who trained at Santa Fe’s Institute of American Indian Arts with fellow student Fritz Scholder (1937–2005), another Native artist associated with the Pop movement. The Smithsonian honored the two men with a joint show in 1972. Cannon’s acrylic on canvas achieved $180,000, including buyer’s premium. It was immediately followed by two Andy Warhol prints, the 1986 “Cowboys and Indians: John Wayne,” $81,600, and the 1968 “Campbell’s Soup: Black Beans,” $31,250.

A complete report on the auction will follow in an upcoming edition.