Fritz Scholder

(American, 1937-2005)

“You must walk that tightrope between accident and discipline. Accident by itself… so what?
Discipline by itself is boring. By walking that tightrope and putting down something on a canvas
coming from your guts, you have a chance of making marks that will live longer than you.”
— Fritz Scholder

Celebrated American expressionist painter and sculptor Fritz Scholder’s work often centered on the American Indian, creating serious, stimulating, yet colorful food for thought. He was the first to paint Indians with American Flags, beer cans, and cats, targeting the loaded national cliché, and guilt of the dominant culture. While the artist was one quarter Luiseño/Payómkawichum, a Coastal California Tribe, he was not raised as an Indian, giving him a unique and undeniable perspective and voice.

Scholder was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota, in 1937, and attended high school in South Dakota and Wisconsin before moving to Sacramento, California with his family partway through college. Scholder knew from a young age that he wanted to create artwork. As he grew, he studied under notable artists like Oscar Howe, Michael Gorski, and Wayne Thiebaud. Thiebaud invited Scholder and others to create a cooperative gallery with him, and his first showing was extremely well received. He graduated from Sacramento State University, and then, having won the John Hay Whitney fellowship, moved to Tucson, joining the Fine Art Department at the University of Arizona and getting a MFA in 1964. After getting his master’s degree, he accepted the position of instructor in Advanced Painting and Contemporary Art History at the newly formed Institute of American Indians Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1967, his new series on the Native American, depicting the "real Indian," became an immediate controversy. Scholder firmly established himself as an artist, becoming a major influence for a generation of Native American artists. Scholder’s first solo show was held in 1970 at the Lee Nordness Galleries.

Scholder was an active, thought-provoking teacher and as a professional artist, he had incredible success. He established his home base in Santa Fe, and as the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s went by, his work was in several significant exhibitions internationally and had multiple retrospectives. Multiple books were written on his work, including a major monograph, and a PBS documentary was filmed about it. He was honored with prestigious awards and prizes including being named Lifetime Societaire of the Salon d’Automne (1984), receiving the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement (1985), and a Humanitarian Award from the 14th Norsk Hostfest (1992), and being inducted, posthumously, into the California Hall of Fame (2009). He also received five honorary degrees, from Ripon College, University of Arizona, Concordia College, The College of Santa Fe, and the University of Wisconsin, as well as invitations to speak at conferences and universities, or collaborate on projects. He travelled extensively, to Europe and North Africa, especially Egypt. He explored many mediums besides painting including etching and lithographs, photography, and poetry, and established his own private press. He spent the later part of his life in Scottsdale, Arizona, passing away from diabetes and pneumonia at age 67.



American Fine Art, Inc. is proud to feature the original works and limited editions of Fritz Scholder. Visit our 12,000 sq. ft. showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona or call today. Our website is offered only as a limited place to browse or refresh your memory and is not a reflection of our current inventory. To learn more about collecting, pricing, value, or any other art information, please contact one of our International Art Consultants. We look forward to giving you the one on one attention you deserve when building your fine art collection. We hope you find our website helpful and look forward to seeing you in Scottsdale soon.