Description:

Ben Sakoguchi
n.p., ca. 2005
Ben Sakoguchi Original Painting: "First American Brand", Signed by the Artist, The Unauthorized History of Baseball Series
Signed art
A superb original painting by renowned baseball artist Ben Sakoguchi (b. 1938), accomplished in bold bright acrylic paint on stretched canvas. This painting, titled "First American Brand," measures 11" x 10" (sight) and is set into a minimalist wood frame with a 1/4" border and measuring 2" tall. Sakoguchi signs on the verso of the canvas in full. With a wire for hanging and the original tag with the name and client attached thereon. In fine condition.

This exact painting was likely exhibited at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles in 2016, and the painting has the exhibition tags on verso. We checked with Sakoguchi's gallery upon the receipt of this consignment and note that new items currently for sale (and often not as detailed as this one) range in price from $6,500-$16,000!

The painting is one of Sakoguchi's series "The Unauthorized History of Baseball in 200-odd Paintings" in which he both honors and critiques America's favorite pastime. These paintings are modeled on the graphic and eye-catching style of late-nineteenth century orange crate labels that adorned the wooden boxes used by citrus companies before the advent of cardboard boxes. The very frames used by Sakoguchi in this series also reference the orange crates: they are constructed with unfinished wood nearly identical to that used for the crates themselves.

Sakoguchi had been enthralled with the vivid imagery used in this advertising art and, turning an eye towards the sometimes-fraught history baseball. In his painting, he references the style in a novel way that creates richly detailed images which simultaneously please the eye and activate the mind.

"First American" (2005) casts a critical eye on baseball iconography showing Larry Doby, the second black player to break baseball's "color barrier," at center. Doby was also the first player to go directly from the Negro Leagues to the majors and he, with teammate Satchel Paige, were the first black players to win a World Series championship with the Cleveland Indians.

Doby is flanked by the grinning "Chief Wahoo," whose large size overshadows him and suggesting that the individual contributions of black players are overlooked. In this case, even the pioneering Doby -- with "Dobie Springs" at left to linguistically support him -- is in the background of both the team logo and its caricature of a Native American. Ironically, the Indians removed this branding only in 2018, after significant protests starting in the 1970s. At the time of this painting (2005), "Chief Wahoo" was alive and well but the Indians lost the American League pennant that season.

Indeed, outside Jacobs Field, protestors agitated against the use of Chief Wahoo and the name "Indians" for the Cleveland MLB team on the day it opened its season Mon. April 11, 2005 -- possibility an inspiration for Sakoguchi's painting.

Sakoguchi was featured in a 4pp. article in the July 31, 2006 edition of Sports Illustrated. The artist sums up his work, saying: "In baseball, the flaw of America and the strengths of America come through." The entire article can be accessed through this link: https://www.bensakoguchi.com/sports_illustrated.php.

Ben Sakoguchi (b. 1938) is an award-winning artist and the recipient of two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. His work has been widely shown in numerous galleries, including over 30 solo shows, and is in the permanent collections: The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Brooklyn Museum, New York; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C. Sakoguchi retired from painting in 2007 and resides in Pasadena, CA.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 11" x 10"
  • Medium: Signed art

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000