This March, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West will unveil its $12 million expansion, which includes the 12,000-square-foot Louis Sands IV Center, bringing the museum to a total of 55,000 square feet. In celebration of this massive renovation project, the Old Town Scottsdale museum is hosting a week of opening events from March 24 to 29.
Among these is the exhibition Working Pardners: Masterworks from the Eddie Basha Collection,one of the most significant collections of Western and Native American art, assembled by the late Eddie Basha, best known for his eponymous grocery store chain in Arizona.
Roy Andersen (1930-2019), Across the Valley, 2005, oil, 36 x 50 in.
“The Eddie Basha Collection is a significant one because of the quality, depth and quantity of works as well as the assortment of artists represented,” says associate curator Tammy Fontaine.
In addition to his business pursuits, Basha was a passionate patron of the arts and an avid supporter of education, serving on the Chandler Unified School District governing board, the Arizona State Board of Education and as a member of the Arizona Board of Regents.
David Halbach (1931-2022), When Up is Down, 1986, watercolor, 12 x 9 in.
“Not long after Eddie began collecting, he focused on contemporary artists, many of whom were members of the Cowboy Artists of America, founded in Arizona in 1965 who lived and practiced [in Arizona]. He was also keen on collecting works by American Indian artists, the majority of which, again, live and practice in Arizona,” says Fontaine. “One of his greatest joys was meeting and befriending those artists, discussing their processes and the research completed for narrative or historical works, or those reflecting culture and tradition. Eddie believed that art was meant to be shared and the Western Spirit museum is committed to upholding that belief.”
Larry Yazzie (Navajo (Diné)), Invocation to the Great Spirit, bronze (left) and alabaster (right), 10 x 7 x 8 in.
Basha’s prolific collection includes such names as Joe Beeler, David Johns, Larry Yazzie, Gary Niblett, Martin Grelle, Russell Houston, Ernest Berke, Cecil Calnimptewa, Howard Terpning, David Halbach, James Reynolds and Ken Riley.
Kenneth Riley (1919-2015), Return of the Coldmaker, 1999, oil, 48 x 42 in.
Among the highlights in the exhibition is CA artist Roy Andersen’s Across the Valley, a 3-by-4-foot painting depicting a band of Native Americans in dramatic evening light. “Andersen’s use of light and color truly recreates the beauty and majesty of a Southwestern landscape,” Fontaine says. “The sunlit mountains in the background are topped by massive blue, gray and pink clouds that obscure large portions of the sky. Roughly divided in half horizontally, the effective use of light and shadow adds a sense of drama while the darkened mountains mid-canvas add a sense of depth. On the edge of a canyon, the highlighted lead Apache figure raises his knife which glistens in the sun overhead to signal across the valley, just as the title suggests, making it a successful narrative.”
Bill Owen (1942-2013), His Band of Mares, 2005, oil, 24 x 48 in.
Another CA artist in the show is Bill Owen, with the 2005 oil His Band of Mares. “A stallion and his mares run freely across a sagebrush dotted range. While the hills in the background slope to a level surface, the panoramic format emphasizes a vast space. His Band of Mares is a beautiful piece to gaze at with its rich ombre palette. If it weren’t for the textural brushstrokes, it might almost be mistaken for a photograph,” Fontaine reflects.
Oreland Joe (Navajo (Diné)/Southern Ute), Sacred Mountain Prayer, 2005, Portuguese marble, 28 x 11 x 8 in.
Other significant works include Howard Terpning’s oil The Hunters and the Hunted and Larry Yazzie’s alabaster and bronze Invocation to the Great Spirit.
Working Pardners: Masterworks from the Eddie Basha Collection opens Saturday, March 28, on the upper level of the new Louis Sands IV Center. The Eddie Basha Collection is permanently housed at Western Spirit. —
Working Pardners: Masterworks from the Eddie Basha Collection
Opens March 28, 2026
Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West
3830 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 686-9539, www.westernspirit.org
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