Sculpture in the Southwest encompasses a remarkably broad spectrum of forms and traditions. At one end sits the ancient practice of carving stone, shaping clay, and working with natural materials to create objects of ceremonial and everyday significance. At the other end is the contemporary studio practice of artists working in bronze, alabaster, wood, and mixed media to produce works that engage with the full range of modern sculptural tradition while remaining deeply connected to the culture and landscape of the region.

What unites these works is a commitment to the object itself, to the physical presence of something made by hand with skill and intention. Sculpture demands a different kind of attention than painting or works on paper. It occupies space, casts shadows, and changes as the viewer moves around it. The traditions of Southwest sculpture draw on multiple cultural streams, Indigenous carving and ceramic traditions stretching back thousands of years, Spanish Colonial santo and bulto carving, and the influence of European academic sculpture.
 

The Southwest has one of the longest and most continuous sculptural traditions in North America. Long before European contact, Indigenous peoples of the region were producing carved stone figures, ceramic vessels with sculptural qualities, and ceremonial objects whose formal sophistication continues to impress. The arrival of Spanish Colonial culture introduced new forms and new purposes for sculpture, producing a tradition of wooden figure carving that was both devotional and artistic and has continued without interruption to the present day.

In the twentieth century, Native American sculptors began working in bronze and other materials associated with the Western fine art tradition, bringing Indigenous subjects and perspectives to a medium with deep roots in European art history. Their influence on subsequent generations of Southwest sculptors has been profound.

Gene and Rebecca Tobey, who worked together as artistic partners for twenty years, created instantly recognizable abstracted animal forms in ceramic, bronze, and embossed paper, their surfaces transformed into intricate mazes of glyphs, symbols, and Native American imagery that blend masterful artistry with primal, universal meaning.

Collectors interested in the ceramic dimension of this collection will find a natural extension in our pottery collection. Those drawn to the spiritual and ceremonial aspects of Southwest sculpture may also wish to explore our fetishes and kachinas collection. And for collectors interested in the figurative tradition in Southwest art more broadly, our figurative collection offers paintings, prints, and works on paper that share the sculptural interest in the human form.