Joe Ben Jr. Navajo Sand Painting "Woven with Darkness"

Item Details

Joe Ben Jr. (Navajo; b. 1958)
Woven with Darkness
Sand painting on board
Signed to the lower right
Includes handwritten and signed artist statement with contextual information on painting

Born in New Mexico in 1958, Joe Ben Jr. is an artist known for his mastery of the Navajo art of sand painting, or ‘dry painting’. As a member of the Tacheeni clan of the Navajo people, from an early age Joe Ben Jr. participated in traditional ceremonies in which sand paintings are crafted to establish a temporary connection between participants and spiritual forces or ancestors. Ben distinguishes himself from many modern practitioners of this ancient art form through his use of an expansive variety of pulverized minerals and ores, collected during his travels across South America and around the world, including turquoise, lapis lazuli, copper ore, chrysalis blue, white-gypsum, and many more. Internationally renowned and respected, Joe Ben Jr. has taught sand painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was commissioned by the United Nations to produce an artwork in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the intergovernmental organization in 1995. Today, Ben’s artwork belongs to collections around the world including the Smithsonian Institute of America and the Pompidou Center in Paris.

Condition

- minor markings to frame and glass covering.

Dimensions

- measurements of frame; sight measures 8.5" W x 10.5" H.

Item #

ITMG445932