Oscar Edmund Berninghaus (1874 - 1952) American
Watercolor on Paper
Measure 5 3/4"in H x 8"in W and 14"in H x 17 1/2"in W with frame

Known for: Landscape and genre painting, illustration
Biography: The son of a lithograph salesman, Oscar Berninghaus was educated in St. Louis grammar schools. Even then he sold spot news sketches to the local newspapers. In the tradition of an earlier era of painters, he began work in lithography in 1889 and as a printing apprentice in 1893. Meanwhile, he attended night classes at St. Louis Society of Fine Arts for three terms. Established first as an illustrator and then as a largely self-taught fine artist, he was in the course of getting his first one-man show in St. Louis in 1899. That year he was the guest of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad on a junket to Colorado. Intrigued by tales of Taos, New Mexico he made a brief side trip twenty-five miles by wagon to the still-untouched village. He returned to Taos each summer after that staying for longer and longer periods until he settled there permanently in 1925. A member of the prestigious Taos Society of Artists, he created paintings that were of the Pueblo Indians, the Spanish Americans, the adobes and the mountains, generally with at least one horse. With his practice as a lithographic artist and illustrator, his approach was direct and objective, showing the Indians as they were rather than posed or nostalgic stereotypes. His technique was to work out of doors, painting on the scene. After he moved to Taos, his style became more modern. His compositions were more complex, his colors richer, and frequently he painted from memory at his easel within his studio. Known as one of the greatest Taos pioneer painters, his works are highly sought after today and are held by many important private and museum collections including the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Museum of New Mexico, Philbrook Art Center, City Art Museum St. Louis, Gilcrease Museum, the Eiteljorg Collection and the Anschutz collection.

Any lots which remain on Coral Gables Auction premises longer than 30 business days following the sale will incur a charge for storage and handling of $5.00 per day for each lot. All paid items left after 3 months will be considered abandoned property and properly disposed of

Important Message Regarding Payments : All invoices that exceed the amount of $ 2000 including the buyer premium, must make the payment through check or wire transfer, if we receive the payment through the platform, the money will be reimbursed automatically to your card

Coral Gables Auction strongly encourages in-person inspection of items by the bidder

Statements by Coral Gables Auction regarding the condition of objects are for guidance only And should Not be relied upon as statements of fact, and do Not constitute a representation, warranty, Or assumption of liability by Coral Gables Auction

All lots offered are sold "As Is"

For condition report please contact our auction house via email info.coralgablesauction@yahoo.com