Philbrook Museum of Art announced the important gift of 364 works of Hopi art, including katsinas, basketry and other media from Atlanta and Santa Fe-based collector, Wayne S. Hyatt. Featuring works by more than 160 artists, the Hyatt Collection both expands and strengthens the impressive survey of 20th and 21st century Native American art within the Philbrook holdings.
The Hyatt family began traveling to the Hopi reservation in northern Arizona in the late 1980s, quickly becoming friends with many artists representing several Hopi communities. With the encouragement and involvement of his late wife Amanda, as well as the continued interest and support of his current wife Margaret, the Hyatt collection now includes a broad range of works spanning the late 1980s to 2013. “The Hopi Collection I am giving to Philbrook consists of far more than cottonwood and plant fibers, carvings and baskets,” said Hyatt. “It contains cultural, indeed spiritual, components as well. Visiting dear friends and ‘family’ on the Mesas and being receptive to what they help me understand has been a vital, motivating force to my collecting.”
