Scottsdale Art Auction
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Spring 2026 | Session 2 (Lots 196-462)

Sat, Apr 11, 2026 03:00AM EDT
  2026-04-11 03:00:00 2026-04-11 03:00:00 America/New_York Scottsdale Art Auction Scottsdale Art Auction : Spring 2026 | Session 2 (Lots 196-462) https://bid.scottsdaleartauction.com/auctions/scottsdale-art-auction/spring-2026-session-2-lots-196-462-22666
This will be a two-day auction April 10th and 11th, 2026 featuring over 400 works. All lots displayed and open to the public for viewing beginning March 23, 2026 in our state-of-the-art exclusive showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona. Private viewing can be arranged by calling (480) 945-0225 or email info@scottsdaleartauction.com. Scottsdale Art Auction miranda@scottsdaleartauction.com
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Kenneth Riley (1919-2015) 30 x 24 inches
Lot 343

Kenneth Riley (1919-2015) 30 x 24 inches

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000
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Starting Bid
$22,500
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Artist: Kenneth Riley Title: The Coup Stick Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 30 x 24 inches Signed: Signed/CA lower right Framed/Base: 41 x 35 inches

Condition

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This lot's overall appearance is Excellent. For more details please view the attached Condition Report.

Condition Reports are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation, warranty, or assumption of liability by Scottsdale Art Auction. Scottsdale Art Auction strongly encourages in-person inspection of items by the bidder. All lots offered are sold “AS IS”. Please refer to item two (2) in our Terms and Conditions for further information.

Overall Dimensions
Height: 41.00
Width: 35.00

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Provenance:
Private collection, Texas
 
The composition of The Coup Stick, with a figure standing in front of a teepee, allowed Kenneth Riley to play with three-dimensional space with a two-dimensional backdrop. Here, the main subject and his horse riff off the pictographic representation of a horse on the teepee. Everything is in play: the dots on the edge of the teepee, the thin coup stick on the left, the shadows at the figure’s feet, the horns of his headdress and much more. The effect was so successful that Riley did a whole informal series of these paintings, with titles such as Eternal Circles, The Black Eagle and The Red Tepee.
 
In West of Camelot: The Historical Paintings of Kenneth Riley, author Susan McGarry relates his meticulous design to a form of visual poetry. “The integrity of the two-dimensional surface—the flat rectangle that is completely under control of the artist—is important in all of Riley’s paintings and paramount in this third realm. ‘Everything becomes a design tool,’ he explains. ‘Manipulating viewers is what art is all about... and of course, it is the artist's goal to manipulate them in his favor!’ While relying upon his standard repertoire of people, landscape, animals and artifacts, the inspiration for these paintings is more conceptual than perceptual. They also share an unnatural (even anti-natural) space and an inventive utilization of negative shapes which become as important as the positives. Colors are subjective, chosen less for their fidelity to reality than for their ability to evoke a mood. And the light typically emanates not only from an outside source but seemingly from within the painting itself.”

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