Walt Johnston "National Anthem" — Lithograph #45/150, 1983 

"National Anthem" is a black-and-white lithograph by New Mexico contemporary realist Walt Johnston, numbered 45 of 150 and dated 1983. The subject is a cowboy standing at attention in profile — sunglasses on, striped shirt open at the collar, fringed chaps, leather gloves hanging from his belt — his black felt hat held flat against his chest in the unmistakable posture of a man honoring the flag. Johnston renders the scene with his signature photographic precision: the texture of the straw-flecked chap leather, the weight of the gloves, the fall of afternoon light across a pinstriped shoulder all land with the authority of direct observation. The title inscribed in the artist's hand lower left, edition number 45/150 at center, and pencil signature with copyright and date lower right. A Western Graphics Workshop blind emboss is present lower left of the sheet.

This print pairs naturally with Johnston's companion piece "The Right Spur" from the same 1983 edition — both lots available in this sale.

Artist Biography

Walt Johnston (1932–2018) was an Albuquerque-based contemporary realist whose draftsmanship was so exacting his paintings are routinely mistaken for photographs. Born in Washington, D.C., the son of an architect, he learned to draw early — not to describe the world but to find the truth in it. During World War II the family relocated to Illinois, where Johnston studied at the Chicago Art Institute and earned national recognition before the age of sixteen, taking a prize at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh in 1948. He later studied and taught alongside Eliot O'Hara NA, one of the foremost American watercolorists of the twentieth century. Johnston settled in New Mexico and became one of the state's most respected contemporary voices, producing oils, watercolors, and lithographs across subjects ranging from Albuquerque cityscapes to ranch and cowboy life. His work entered the permanent collection of the Albuquerque Museum through three separate commissions and has appeared in exhibitions at the National Academy of Design, the Boston Printmakers Annual, and the Society of American Graphic Artists at Kennedy Galleries in New York. His prints and paintings are held in museums and private collections worldwide.

CONDITION

Very Good. Sheet is clean and bright with no foxing, tears, or visible toning. Frame and double mat present with no remarkable damage.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall (framed): 23.5" H × 17.75" W × 1" D
• Visible (sight): 18" H × 12.25" W
• Medium: Lithograph, black and white
• Title: "National Anthem"
• Artist: Walt Johnston (American, 1932–2018)
• Date: 1983
• Edition: #45 of 150
• Title inscription: Lower left margin, in pencil
• Edition number: Center margin, in pencil (45/150)
• Signature: © Walt Johnston 1983, lower right margin, in pencil
• Publisher's mark: Western Graphics Workshop blind emboss, lower left of sheet
• Frame: Metal, double mat (cream with black liner), glazed