Tarmo Pasto
(1906-1986)
"Storm Approaching," 1968
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated lower edge, right of center: Tarmo Pasto; titled on the stretcher, verso
46" H x 50" W
Private Collection, California

Notes: This lot is being offered in a frame hand-painted by the artist. There is a number 258 written on the stretcher as well as on two adhesive stickers affixed to the stretcher, verso.

Tarmo Pasto, a noted psychologist and art professor, was also a prolific painter who frequently exhibited his paintings during his lifetime. Though he is perhaps best known for bringing attention to the work of one of his patients, the so-called Outsider artist Martin Ramirez, Pasto was a key figure in a circle of artists working in and around the Sacramento area during the post-war period. This loose coalition of artists, which includes figures such as Mel Ramos, Wayne Thiebaud, Jack Ogden, is known for exhibiting their work at institutions such as the Crocker Art Museum which holds examples of Pastois work in its permanent collection.

In 1986, four years after a retrospective was held at the Crocker Art Museum, Tarmo Pasto died and left behind a large body of work that has largely remained unseen by subsequent generations of viewers. John Moran Auctioneers is pleased to offer this work for sale for the very first time.

Visual: Overall good condition. Dust accumulation and grime commensurate with age. A 6" horizontal hairline scattered scratch with attendant paint loss near the lower left corner and an unobtrusive, rice-sized scuff nearby. A small area of delicate craquelure near the center of the right edge. Slight frame abrasion in places around the edges, showing mostly at right.

Blacklight: No evidence of restoration.

Frame: 53" H x 57" W x 1" D Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.