Robert Ray
Winter Solstice, 1956
oil on canvas
30.25 x 44 inches
signed lower right
Copyright The Artist
Further images
Following information from Steve & Dottie: Do you recognize the names Harold and Hilda Street? A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, they owned and operated The...
Following information from Steve & Dottie:
Do you recognize the names Harold and Hilda Street? A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, they owned and operated The Taos Inn where they bought and sold and exhibited local art as a bit of a sideline. They were friends with many of the Taos Moderns, including Robert Ray and especially Patrocino Barela. According to family legend, Harold taught Pat who was illiterate how to sign his pieces so he could get more for them.
Anyway, the Streets sold the Inn and moved to Santa Fe around late 1970’s/early 1980’s and opened "The Streets of Taos" Gallery at the foot of Canyon Road, where I first met them around 1983-4. Over the next 25 or so years, we regularly bought art pieces from the Street's family collection from Harold and Hilda’s daughters, Elizabeth and Heather. We bought this painting from Liz in Santa Fe around 2003. It was the first Robert Ray we ever owned, in fact it was the first time we had ever heard of Robert Ray.
We don't know this for sure, but our guess is that Harold and Hilda originally got it directly from Robert Ray in Taos. I don’t remember who we sold it to, hut I notice you mention that it was in Gregory Warren Nelson's collection. We never knew him, so I know we didn’t sell it to him. We might have sold it to Tony Abeyta who might have sold it to him.
Do you recognize the names Harold and Hilda Street? A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, they owned and operated The Taos Inn where they bought and sold and exhibited local art as a bit of a sideline. They were friends with many of the Taos Moderns, including Robert Ray and especially Patrocino Barela. According to family legend, Harold taught Pat who was illiterate how to sign his pieces so he could get more for them.
Anyway, the Streets sold the Inn and moved to Santa Fe around late 1970’s/early 1980’s and opened "The Streets of Taos" Gallery at the foot of Canyon Road, where I first met them around 1983-4. Over the next 25 or so years, we regularly bought art pieces from the Street's family collection from Harold and Hilda’s daughters, Elizabeth and Heather. We bought this painting from Liz in Santa Fe around 2003. It was the first Robert Ray we ever owned, in fact it was the first time we had ever heard of Robert Ray.
We don't know this for sure, but our guess is that Harold and Hilda originally got it directly from Robert Ray in Taos. I don’t remember who we sold it to, hut I notice you mention that it was in Gregory Warren Nelson's collection. We never knew him, so I know we didn’t sell it to him. We might have sold it to Tony Abeyta who might have sold it to him.
Provenance
Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York (label affixed verso); Passedoit Gallery, New York, New York; The Gregory Warren Nelson Collection, Taos, New MexicoExhibitions
Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York (label affixed verso)1
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