Moving from Missouri to Montana in 2011 opened a whole new world for Dan Messerli. Not only did he meet the woman he would marry but he discovered Western art. Debbie Messerli had grown up with original art in her home. “My dad’s friend was a ‘starving artist’ and my dad would buy his paintings which we had all over the house. I did art all through high school.” Dan, on the other hand, did photography as a boy but art was not a big part of his life.
A mixed media painting of Chief Body, 1935/1936, is the subject of the collectors’ research into determining the artist. On the right wall are, top to bottom, Sarah Woods’ 2017 oil My Favorite Marten, a ranch scene by an unknown artist and Teal Blake’s watercolor, Longhorn, 2016. On the right is Paul Mullally’s oil Sieben Ranch Quickdraw, 2005.
On the left are, top to bottom, Mark Maggiori’s Pencil Sketches, 2016; an untitled oil, 2016, by Colt Idol; a work by an unknown artist; and Michael Blessings oil Dignitary, 2016. Cowboy by the Fire, 1977, oil, by Fred Oldfield (1918-2017) is on the top right, and below it is Hunters on the Road, oil, by Richard Bishop (1887-1975) and an untitled oil, 2017, by DG House (Cherokee).
Today, he is on the National Advisory Board of the Bozeman Art Museum and he and Debbie have begun putting together a meaningful art collection. “I think what we love so much about Western art,” he says, “is it is so much more than just the art on the wall. The people really make it amazing—from the artists, to the gallery owners, museum curators/directors and other collectors we meet. Everyone has been so friendly and helpful. The art on the walls reminds us of the personal experiences and stories—sitting at the hotel bar with John and Terri Moyers having a beer, listening to Howard Post and Michael Duchemin of the Briscoe Museum telling stories at the breakfast table. We are usually some of the youngest people in the room next to the artists, yet everyone is always happy to see us. It is becoming a great big friendly community.
Terry Cooke Hall’s oil Cool Moon Rising, 2014, is in the hallway. On the main wall, left to right, is H. David Wright’s oil After the Hunt, 2017; Mark Maggiori’s 2017 work A Commanche; and Howard Post’s oil Western Water Tank (Well Used), 2018.
On the top shelf, left to right, are two India ink and watercolor paintings by Jason Lohmeier, Ambush and Soldier, both from 2016. In front of them is No Retreat, 2018, oil, by Travis Mammedaty (Kiowa). On the side wall is Brett Allen Johnson’s oil Taos Man Study, 2017, and beneath it is Logan Maxwell Hagege’s oil Rio Grande, 2017. On the second to bottom shelf are, from left, Becky Eiker’s bronze Extra, Extra, 1998; a 2017 oil study by Abigail Gutting; and George Bumann’s bronze, Going Places, 2014. On the bottom shelf are Mammedaty’s oil Stomp Dance Leader, 2018, and Two Guns White Calf, a bronze by Merle Olson. The couple also collect pottery from artists associated with the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana, where they live. On the second shelf from the top are, left to right, works by Emily Free Wilson, Andrew Dutcher and Jessica Brandl.
“Back in 2017 at the Quest for the West at the Eiteljorg Museum, Debbie and I were at dinner and I remember leaning over to her and saying, ‘When we get older, we will be telling this story of who was at the dinner table with us.’ At the table were Russell Case, Glenn Dean and his wife Suzanne, Mark Maggiori and Logan Hagege. It was such an awesome and humbling experience.”
Debbie adds, “What I like about the auctions and events with the artists is you get the story behind the painting. First and foremost, we don’t buy a painting we don’t find aesthetically pleasing, but secondly when you have insider knowledge about a painting, your love of it becomes deeper. Take, for example, David Wright’s painting. He told us how the background mountains are actually not the mountains that were in the photo he worked from. He combined two photos to create this composition. He was so happy and excited that we bought it. His painting is a lot more realistic than we usually choose.”
A work of ledger art, Champion Pikani Chicken Dancer, 2017, by John Isaiah Pepion (Blackfeet) hangs next to the couple’s curio cabinet containing art, antiques and heirlooms. On the counter is Ross Contway’s bronze Antelope, 1996.
In the dining room are, left to right, Michael Cassidy’s oil Antelope, Gros Ventre, 2015 and Jeremy Winborg’s oil, Study, 2017.
Dan adds to the Wright story: “We got to the Eiteljorg as soon as it opened and were basically the first ones there. As we were looking at the miniature paintings up for draw later that night, this tall gentleman in his cowboy hat comes up to us with his wife and introduces himself and they talk with us for a few minutes and really set the tone of the weekend and our entire experience with Quest for the West. It was David Wright. He made such a profound impact on us that we put our name in for the drawing of this painting and won. We had to say no to Logan Hagege and Russell Case paintings that we were selected for as well, because we really wanted this piece.”
Michael Cassidy’s oil The Range Boss, 2015, hangs in the living room.
“There aren’t many opportunities to buy art here in Helena,” Dan explains, “so we try to go to the big auctions and shows out of town. We buy about 65 percent of our art online from galleries we’ve researched and know their reputation. We have bought some pottery by artists associated with the Archie Bray Foundation here in Helena, though.”
“Dan is very focused,” Debbie says. “There’s always something to learn about. Early on Dan bought what he wanted. After a while we realized this was becoming more than a hobby. After we began spending serious money we began making decisions together.”
Eric Bowman’s oil Levels and Degrees, 2018, hangs at the top of a group of paintings in the stairwell. Beneath are, left to right, David Grossmann’s oil Mt. Moran Late Afternoon Sun, Study, 2016, and Kyle Ma’s oil Beneath the Tetons, 2015. On the bottom row are—left to right, top to bottom—Ma’s oil Along Grand Canyon, 2016; Jeremy Duncan’s 2016 untitled pencil sketch; and Brett Allen Johnson’s pen and ink Mountain Sketch, 2016.
“I use statistics in my work,” Dan says. “I treat art the same way. I have a list of artists I’m interested in and do research on how they’re selling, what galleries and museums they’re in.”
“Growing up in Montana, I’m proud of my roots,” Debbie explains. “I like artists who are out there living the life like Curt Mattson. It’s more wholesome and authentic.”
On the left is Josh Gibson’s oil Lunch in Monument Valley, 2018. Above the bed is Ignat Ignatov’s oil Sunset in the Canyon, 2015.
The personal connection to artists is, obviously, important to them both. Dan relates a story of visiting his friend Bruce VanLandingham at his Sundog Fine Art Gallery in Bozeman. “We were in the storage room in the back of the gallery where Bruce was showing my wife one of my favorite works by Winold Reiss he had. He started showing us other works back there that he knew I would like and this drawing by Joe De Yong came out. Debbie and I both loved it immediately. I wasn’t going to buy it, however, because I had already bought a few pieces of art this year and I was trying to be responsible. Debbie convinced me it was OK to buy the De Yong piece and am so happy we did. Bruce passed away unexpectedly a little over a month later, and to this day every time I look at this drawing, I think of him.”
The paintings on the wall include, from left to right, a Nicholas Coleman watercolor Young Black Bear, 2016; Jerry Jordan’s oil Distant Pathways Close to Home, 2017; and Jeremy Winborg’s oil, Fire Starter Study #2. On the cabinet are, left to right, Kenneth Yarus’ oil study False Kiva First Impressions, 2017, and George Bumann’s bronze Border Patrol Maquette, 2005.
Behind Debbie and Dan Messerli is Jennifer Johnson’s oil Vintage Bison in Magenta, 2019.
Both collectors are happy to see other young collectors exploring the world of Western art and want to encourage more of them. Debbie advises, “Don’t be intimidated by the art world.” Dan advises, “Do your research. The more you know the better decisions you can make.” —
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