SANTA FE, N.M. – The top lot at Santa Fe Art Auctions’ three-day American Indian and Tribal auction August 13-15 was “Red Feathers in a Salmon Sky” by Frank Howell (1937-1997), which saw interest from multiple bidders on both the phones and online. After competitive bidding, it sold to a private collector from New Mexico for $28,800, which established a new world auction record for the artist. The result also bested the previous record of $21,010 that Santa Fe Art Auction had set in 1997.

The oil on canvas had been painted in 1986 and measured 67½ by 85 inches in its frame. It had provenance to a private New Mexico collection and had been exhibited at the Singleton Biss Museum of Fine Art in Santa Fe. The sale of 644 lots achieved a total exceeding $800,000, with a sell-through rate of more than 92 percent.

A more comprehensive sale summary will follow in a later issue.