R.C. GORMAN
New Mexico/Arizona/California, 1932-2005
"Desert Bloom". Signed and dated lower left "R.C. Gorman".
Lithograph on paper, 31" x 25" sight. Framed 42" x 37".
Notes:
Rudolph Carl Gorman, born in Chinle, Arizona, was a Native American artist of the Navajo Nation. Referred to as "the Picasso of American Indian artists" by The New York Times, his paintings are primarily of Native American women, characterized by fluid forms and vibrant colors. He also worked in sculpture, ceramics and stone lithography and authored four cookbooks (with accompanying drawings) called Nudes and Food.

His father, Carl Nelson Gorman, was one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers who developed the unbreakable code American forces used in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Carl later studied at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles and was a technical illustrator for Douglas Aircraft. He also founded a silk-screen design company and taught Native American Art at the University of California at Davis.

R.C. Gorman grew up in a traditional Navajo hogan and began drawing at age 3. His grandmother, who helped raise him, told him about Navajo legends and his genealogy of artist ancestors, kindling his desire to become an artist. While tending sheep in Canyon de Chelly with his aunts, he drew on the rocks, sand and mud and made sculptures with the clay; his earliest subjects included Mickey Mouse and Shirley Temple.

After he left high school he served in the U.S. Navy before entering college at Northern Arizona University, where he majored in literature and minored in art.

In 1958, he received the first scholarship from the Navajo Tribal Council to study outside of the United States, and he enrolled in the art program at Mexico City College. There he learned of and was influenced by the work of Diego Rivera. He later studied art at San Francisco State University, where he also worked as a model.

The absence of a condition report does not imply an object is free of defects. All items may have normal signs of age and wear commensurate with their age; these issues will likely not be mentioned in the condition report. Please contact Eldred's before the auction with any condition questions. Questions about condition will not be answered after purchase. Condition reports are provided as a courtesy, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Important note on frames: Frames are not guaranteed to be in the same condition as they are in the item photograph. Due to handling and shipping, many frames, especially antique ones, are prone to losses. If you have questions about the condition of a frame, please contact us prior to the auction.