A U C T I O N S​ ~ ​A P P R A I S A L S ~ E S T A T E S A L E S
NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIST RETHA GAMBARO (1917-2013)
AT POTOMACK COMPANY FEBRUARY 28​th​ AUCTION
​CREEK SCULPTOR LED CREATION OF
D.C.’S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: ​[email protected] ​ and ​[email protected] ​ 703-684-4550
Alexandria, VA​ – Acclaimed Native American artist Retha Walden Gambaro’s
spiritually inspired sculptures that bring tribal traditions and lore to life in stone and bronze are
featured in The Potomack Company’s February 28​th​ auction.
An early champion of the National Museum of the American Indian, Gambaro was
president of the Amerindian Circle at the Smithsonian Institution that launched funding for the
museum at the Kennedy Center’s “Night of the First Americans” gala in 1982 under the
patronage of President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan.
Classically trained and exhibited at institutions including the Heard, Gilcrease, National
1120 N. FAIRFAX STREET, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, 22314
703-684-4550 (TEL) ~ 703-684-4554 (FAX)
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A U C T I O N S​ ~ ​A P P R A I S A L S ~ E S T A T E S A L E S
Museum of American History and Kennedy Center, Gambaro’s art works at The Potomack
Company (​www.potomackcompany.com​) span her career and meld traditional and contemporary
elements. Retha Walden Gambaro (1917-2013) was born in Indian Territory, Oklahoma, to a
mother of Creek descent. Her own works and those of other Native Americans that filled her
studio in Stafford, Virginia, represent Gambaro’s passion for heritage and nature as well as her
desire to elevate and support fellow Native American artists. Almost 80 of her sculptures will be
offered at auction, along with more than 170 lots of Native American art and artifacts from her
personal collection.
​
“​I am most influenced by artists whose works speak of some spiritual experience – works
which show the inspiration from which they come,” wrote Gambaro. ​”May the Shadow of the
Great Spirit fall upon​ the work of my hands reminding all of the continuity of life.” A fallen leaf
that reminded her of the fleeting​ nature of life inspired the contemplative sculpture ​Acceptance,
part of a series devoted to attitudes of prayer and the universal expression of human emotion.
Among Gambaro’s renowned sculptures at The Potomack Company are her ​Attitudes of
Prayer series that display an array of spiritual emotions in amorphous and realistic human and
animal forms, including ​Faith, “Without faith, what else is there?,” Family, “How great, how
wondrous are the bonds,” and​ Peace, “Sought by so many, destroyed by so few!”
Gambaro also sculpted busts, on commission, of famous Americans – including President
John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Jesse Jackson - copies of which will be
offered for sale at Potomack. The auction company will recreate Gambaro’s studio at its Old
Town Alexandria gallery to showcase her works and personal collection of Native American art
and artifacts, her studio equipment and works of her husband, noted photographer Stephen A.
Gambaro.
1120 N. FAIRFAX STREET, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, 22314
703-684-4550 (TEL) ~ 703-684-4554 (FAX)
WWW.POTOMACKCOMPANY.COM
VIRGINIA LICENSE #704
A U C T I O N S​ ~ ​A P P R A I S A L S ~ E S T A T E S A L E S
For further information about the life and career of Retha Walden Gambaro, please see
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OApqKk0Tq5o​. The Potomack Company is a fine art and
antique auction house in Alexandria, Virginia. Additional information is at 703-684-4550 and at
www.potomackcompany.com​.
1120 N. FAIRFAX STREET, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, 22314
703-684-4550 (TEL) ~ 703-684-4554 (FAX)
WWW.POTOMACKCOMPANY.COM
VIRGINIA LICENSE #704