Joseph Sánchez

“The strength of the group allowed me to exhibit in places I could only dream of being included.” – Joseph Sanchez

The only non-Canadian member of the PNIAI, Joseph Sanchez was born in 1948 in Trinidad, Colorado, of Pueblo, Spanish, and German descent. Raised on the White Mountain Apache Reservation, Sanchez recalls an early affinity with art. After graduation, Sanchez briefly considered joining the priesthood, instead joining the United States Marine Corps, stationed at the El Toro UCMC Base in California, where he trained soldiers drafted for the Vietnam War.

Mainly self-taught, Sanchez is known for his “spiritual surrealist” style, which the artist describes as “sensual and dreamlike, provocative and thought-inducing.” Sanchez credits meeting Daphne Odjig in 1971 as the genesis of his artistic career. Sanchez was living outside of Manitoba in a small town named Richer. Odjig recognized the young artist’s talent, and published an offset print based on his work. Invited to join the PNIAI, Sanchez was instrumental in its formation.

Sanchez, along with his first wife, Canadian photographer Ann Nadine Krajeck, would relocate to Arizona in the mid-1970s. In addition to his studio practice, Sanchez devoted much of his life to volunteering, advocating for the rights of minority artists, activism, public speaking, leading workshops, teaching on both elementary and university levels, curating, and writing, in addition to other multifaceted roles in the artworld. He notes that “despite occasional exhibitions, [his] energy was mostly spent supporting the careers of fellow artists.”

In 1974, Sanchez was commissioned to create a painting for the Juno Awards, to be presented to the winner of the Multiculturalism in Music category. The same year, he created “Fertility Totem,” a nine-foot cedar totem pole installed in the Franco-Manitoban Center in St. Boniface, Manitoba for the Winnipeg Centennial.

In addition to his work furthering Indigenous art, Sanchez has been deeply involved with Chicano artists, forming three collectives near Phoenix, Arizona: the Movimiento Artistic del Rio Salado (M.A.R.S.), Azoma, and Ariztlan. While travelling for work, Sanchez would meet his second wife, Margaret Burke, in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1990. The two married in 2006.

His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Canada, Mexico, England, and the United States and is held in numerous collections, including: Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Gatineau, Quebec; Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, Quebec; Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona; Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico; MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan; and many private collections internationally.

Sanchez continues to curate, lecture, and educate, in addition to his work in the studio.

ABOUT THE AUCTION

Waddington’s is pleased to offer this notable work by Joseph Sánchez and Daphne Odjig in our Major Fall First Nations Art auction, online from November 7 – 20, 2025.

Our major fall auction of exceptional First Nations art includes important works by Beau Dick, Jimmy John, John Cross, Norval Morrisseau, Alex Janvier, Eddy Cobiness, Allen Sapp, and Benjamin Chee Chee, as well as notable paintings, graphics, and sculpture by Daphne Odjig, Chief Henry Speck Sr., Robert Charles Davidson, William (Bill) Reid, Jacob Ezra Thomas, Randy Stiglitz, Jane Ash Poitras, and others.

Public Previews

Previews are available at our Toronto gallery:

Thursday, November 13 from 10 am to 5 pm
Friday, November 14 from 10 am to 5 pm
Saturday, November 15 from 12 pm to 4 pm
Sunday, November 16 from 12 pm to 4 pm
Monday, November 17 from 10 am to 7 pm
Tuesday, November 18 from 10 am to 5 pm
Wednesday, November 19 from 9 am to 12 pm
Or by appointment.

You must be registered to bid in this auction. Register here.

Contact us for condition reports and further information.