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Palace Club Simulacrum of "A Desperate Stand" NV - Reno,Washoe County - 1943 - 2012aug - Cowboy & Na

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 25,000.00 USD
Palace Club Simulacrum of  A Desperate Stand  NV - Reno,Washoe County - 1943 - 2012aug - Cowboy & Na
Invoicing and lot pick up will NOT be available at the live auction.
This painting, 11’ 2.5” by 5’ 4.5” is a Trevors rendition of Charles Marion Russell’s 1898 painting, “A DESPERATE STAND”. The lower right corner is signed “TREVORS/ 1943/ AFTER CMR”. This painting by the Works Progress Administration artist Franz A. Trevors was specially commissioned for the Palace Club in Reno, owned by the Petricciani family, during the early 1940s when Petricciani leased the casino to Ernie Primm, Joe Hall, Archie Sneed, Jim Contratto, and Elmer "Baldy" West. Please see the full story of Trevors and the Palace Club for more information. The only noteworthy differences between this painting and the original work by Russell are as follows: Trevors` colors are more vibrant; there is an extra tuft of grass in the lower right corner of Trevor`s simulacrum; and, in the original by Russell, there are 3 more natives on horseback charging past the man falling from his horse--these three figures are missing in Trevor`s painting.

Reno’s Gambling Boom: The Palace Club
When the prohibition of gambling in the Silver State, which began in 1909, was finally lifted, the roaring 1920s saw Reno become the capital of gambling in the state. John Petricciani purchased the Palace Club property in 1924, and for a decade he successfully leased it out to other individuals [Ref: The Rise of the Biggest Little City, Kling, 2000, p.124]. During its early years, the property was licensed as the Palace Cigar Store and as the Palace Bar until Petricciani finally licensed the full casino, calling it the Palace Club, in 1934. Shortly thereafter, in 1935, Petricciani’s son Silvo was named the “best craps dealer in town” by the Nevada State Journal. As the country entered the Great Depression, Nevada was finally forced to address its mixed feelings about gambling. Assembly Bill 98, which was passed in 1931, allowed for wide-open gambling, and helped to bolster the Nevadan economy.

Franz Trevors: Painting for the Palace
In 1943, with his son Silvo in the military, John Petricciani leased the Palace Club, for five years, to Ernie Primm, Joe Hall, Archie Sneed, Jim Contratto, and Elmer “Baldy” West [Ref: The Rise of the Biggest Little City, Kling, 2000, p.125]. It was around this time that Franz Trevors was commissioned to produce a set of large paintings, which he styled after Charles Marion Russell (1864-1926). Trevors was born in Texas in 1907 and, like many painters of the time, was influenced by painters like Remington and Russell. Trevors’ paintings (c.1943-1944) for the Palace Club are stunning reproductions of five of Russell’s paintings: “THE BUCKER” (1904), LOOPS AND SWIFT HORSES ARE SURER THAN LEAD” (1916), THE HOLD-UP (1899), “SMOKE OF A .45” (1908), and “A DESPERATE STAND” (1898). Trevors’ paintings closely adhere to Russell’s colors, composition, and subjects, and are truly stunning works of art. Trevors continued to paint until his death in March 1980, and although there is painfully little information available about his life and works, his paintings hang in various venues in New Mexico. Trevors’ paintings merge the feeling of the Old West with the spirit of Reno’s growing gambling empire, making these works unique additions to any Old West, Reno, or Gambling enthusiasts’ collections.
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