Ray Dewey: Prolific Santa Fe Art Dealer - Epi. 259, Host Dr. Mark Sublette

Art Dealer Diaries Podcast

I had a great time talking with Ray Dewey. It's a podcast that I've been wanting to do for quite a while and it's just taken a while for us to get together. He's a really busy guy so I finally said: "Fine, I'll come up to Santa Fe." I knew Ray would have a great story, and he did not disappoint.
Ray was an instrumental figure in the Native American art business, especially from the 1970s through the 1990s. He still buys and sells paintings, so it's not like he's not out of the scene, but he was just so pivotal as the owner/operator of Dewey Fine Art. I remember going into his gallery and just being in awe of all the material and the way he had it displayed. He ran a first-class business and was always keen on educating anyone who wanted to learn.
I would come in as a young guy in my 30s and I didn't have much money but he would still spend the time to talk to me. That's the thing that great dealers do. Ray is one of those great dealers. Not to mention, he was really the first person in the Southwest to deal in the paintings of one Ed Mell. Ed and I have been friends for a very long time, but Ray gave him his first show in 1985. Of all things, it was a Maynard Dixon and Ed Mell show, which was pretty groundbreaking at the time.
It's a fascinating tale and it's really important to know who the groundbreaking individual was who had so much to do with enhancing the Native American art scene in Santa Fe. I really enjoyed it. Ray Dewey on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast number 259.