Art for All

The Booth Museum provides a rare opportunity to view highlights from the Eddie Basha Collection.

If you live in Arizona, you know the name Basha, likely associated with the state’s ubiquitous local grocery store chain, Bashas’. But if you are well versed in Western art you might know—or soon will—Basha as the last name of an iconic collector of the genre of art.

The Eddie Basha Collection of American Indian and Western fine art spans three centuries and is comprised of over 3,500 pieces including paintings, sculpture, jewelry, pottery, katsina and basketry from various Native American Nations, members of the Cowboy Artists of America and other acclaimed artists.

Howard Terpning, Medicine Man of the Cheyenne, 1983, oil, 48 x 40”

The Basha family recently gifted significant portions of the collection to two iconic institutions in Arizona, the Heard Museum in Phoenix and Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.

In one of the first opportunities for Western art enthusiasts to experience the collection outside of Arizona, the Booth Western Art Museum presents Art is Meant to be Shared: Highlights of the Eddie Basha Collection, a special exhibition featuring a selection of masterpieces from the holdings.

On view will be approximately 60 paintings, drawings and sculpture plus another 20 Native American art objects, including pots, baskets and jewelry.

Among the artists represented in the Booth exhibition are luminaries such as Howard Terpning, R.S. Riddick, Joe Beeler, Roy Andersen, Martin Grelle, as well as Native American artists like Dan Namingha, David Johns, Baje Whitethorne Sr., Oreland Joe, Tommy Montoya and Larry Yazzie.

Fred Fellows, Out to Pasture, 2006, oil, 30 x 40”. Loaned by Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West & The Basha Family.

“Eddie Basha was in the right place at the right time with the right idea,” says Booth executive director Seth Hopkins, explaining that Basha started collecting Western art around the same time the Cowboy Artists of America were coming into their own and had moved their show to Phoenix, near Basha’s home in Chandler, Arizona. “This put him in a great position to buy some of the best work ever produced by members of the group,” continues Booth. “He was also a very likable individual who made friends easily, allowing him to become close friends with many of the artists. Once friends with an artist, Eddie would often collect much more of their work while also nudging them to continue to grow and improve.

“One of the most admirable things about his collecting is, that as prices rose and an artist became more famous, he did not stop buying their work, thinking he had enough. He kept buying, even as the prices and the competition escalated. Later in his collecting career, Eddie was part of the ownership team at Trailside Galleries, giving him easy access to an even wider range of art.”

David Johns (Navajo (Diné)), Round Dance, acrylic, 66 x 52”. Loaned by Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West & The Basha Family

Basha was an avid collector of Howard Terpning, amassing nearly two dozen works in what is now one of the most significant holdings of this artists. The same is true for the large number of works by John Clymer, Joe Beeler and several other important Western artists of the contemporary era.

“Eddie was broad-minded in his definition of Western art,” says Hopkins. “[He was inclusive of] Native American art, ranging from pottery and basketry to jewelry and somewhat abstracted paintings and sculpture by some of the best artists of the last 50 to 60 years. Stunning large works by David Johns are among the best examples from this portion of the collection.”

When Art is Meant to Sharedcloses at the Booth Western Art Museum on June 8, the bulk of the pieces on exhibit will return to the Arizona museums, and eventually be integrated into their permanent collection spaces.

Joe Beeler (1931-2006), Where Have All My People Gone, bronze, ed. 1 of 45, 41 x 19 x 12”. Loaned by Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West & The Basha Family.

Hopkins says, “We are honored to have had the opportunity to showcase these works to our Eastern audiences, and to help publicize the legacy of Eddie Basha and his passion that will live on through this exhibition, and the works of art headed to their new permanent homes.” —

Art is Meant to be Shared: Highlights of the Eddie Basha Collection
January 27-June 8, 2024
Booth Western Art Museum
501 N. Museum Drive, Cartersville, GA 30120
(770) 387-1300, www.boothmuseum.org