2025 Coeur d’Alene Art Auction / Lot 179179 / 354  •  View Catalog  •   • 

179
Paul Pletka (b. 1946)
Tarahumara (1981)
acrylic on canvas
48 × 58 inches
signed lower right

PROVENANCE
King P. Kirchner, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Present owner, by descent

Describing this painting, the artist wrote: “The Tarahumara Indians of the Sierra Madre Occidental in northern Mexico are a shy and peaceful group, who have combined their native rites with the Catholicism introduced by missionaries. This painting illustrates the Easter dance in which participants daub themselves with white paint, chant, and beat large drums made by Indian craftsmen.”

LITERATURE
Paul Pletka, Pletka, Northland Press, 1983, pp. 144-45, illustrated
Amy Scott, Paul Pletka: Imagined Wests, University of Oklahoma Press, 2017, pp. 86-87, illustrated

179

Paul Pletka

b. 1946

Tarahumara (1981)
acrylic on canvas
48 × 58 inches
signed lower right
$32,500 (Preliminary Hammer Price)
* Price does not include Buyer’s Premium
Condition ReportSurface is in excellent condition. No signs of restoration.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders; such statements are educated opinions and should not be regarded as facts. The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has no responsibility for any errors or omissions.