Cameron Booth 'Bay Horse in Winter' Oil on Canvas, 1963 — 60×48

A bay horse stands at a snow-rimmed corral in winter light, painted near life-size on a commanding 60-inch canvas by Cameron Booth — the artist widely called the dean of Minnesota painters, for whom the horse was a defining subject. Booth builds the scene from earth: rust-red barn boards, ochre fence posts, and the warm chestnut mass of the animal set against a cold gray sky and broken snow. The handling is loose and assured, carrying the gestural confidence of his late period into a fully representational high-country farmyard.

Initialed and dated "C.B. 1963" at lower right. The verso is inscribed in the artist's hand — "Cameron Booth, March 1, 1963," the title "Bay Horse in Winter" (with the alternate notation "Red"), the 60 × 48 dimensions, and his original $1,800 valuation — and a "Cameron Booth" label is affixed to the frame. The work remains on its original keyed stretcher with original hanging wire, presented in a narrow wood strip frame.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Cameron Booth (1892–1980) was a leading figure in American modernism and is widely regarded as the dean of Minnesota artists. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, he trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where the landmark 1913 Armory Show turned him toward the European avant-garde, and later studied with André Lhote in Paris and Hans Hofmann. Across a national career spanning the 1920s through the 1970s he moved between Regionalist scenes, expressive landscapes, and Abstract Expressionism, while horses and farmyards remained among his most sought-after subjects. A Guggenheim Fellow, he taught at the Minneapolis School of Art, the Art Students League in New York, and the University of Minnesota, where his students included Pop artist James Rosenquist. His work is held in institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Minnesota Historical Society.

CONDITION

Very Good. Sound and unlined on its original keyed stretcher, with rich, stable color and strong surface presence. Shows age-appropriate wear and isolated areas of craquelure.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Overall (framed): 60 3/8" X 48 3/8" X 2"
• Visible (sight): 60" X 48"
• Date: 1963
• Signed: Initialed and dated "C.B. 1963" lower right; titled, signed, and dated verso
• Frame: Narrow wood strip frame
• Markings: "Cameron Booth" label affixed to frame