Antique Large Horse Racetrack Gameboard

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Description

Exceptional large-scale American horse racetrack gameboard, measuring an impressive 41 x 61 inches. Boldly painted in red, yellow, blue, and … Read more Exceptional large-scale American horse racetrack gameboard, measuring an impressive 41 x 61 inches. Boldly painted in red, yellow, blue, and green, radiating bands fan outward from a numbered oval racetrack, while graphic painted horseshoes anchor each of the four corners. One hundred individually numbered spaces surround four concentric colored rings at the center, creating a wonderfully balanced and highly decorative geometric composition. Presumably made for a steeplechase or horse-racing game, the board captures the excitement of American racing culture and evokes the great traditions of the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Springs. Its vivid palette, repetition, symmetry, and strong abstract quality also give the piece a remarkably modern presence. Historic American gameboards have increasingly been recognized not simply as objects of play, but as important examples of American folk art and design. Their bold geometries and inventive use of color frequently anticipated the language of 20th-century abstraction.

Dr. Emelie Gevalt, Deputy Director and Chief Curatorial and Program Officer of the American Folk Art Museum, observed:

“While many modern artists sought to distill organic forms into basic geometries, the gameboard's format in particular lent itself gracefully to abstraction, resulting in designs that appear strikingly avant-garde. With their bold use of color and simplicity of form, such examples can be seen as vehicles for the evolving aesthetics of a rapidly changing era, sometimes even anticipating them by many decades.”

Provenance:
Pook & Pook Auctioneers
The Bruce and Doranna Wendel Collection

Bruce and Doranna Wendel began collecting historic American gameboards in the late 1970s, when few collectors recognized their artistic significance. With eyes shaped by modernism, the Wendels understood early on that the graphic and geometric qualities of these objects placed them in conversation with the great art movements of the 20th century.
Over the next fifty years, they assembled more than 200 examples, forming one of the most important collections of American gameboards. Their collection was celebrated by the American Folk Art Museum through two major exhibitions, most recently Playing With Design: Gameboards, Art and Culture in 2024. Bruce Wendel also served on the Museum's Board of Trustees, and the couple donated numerous significant examples to its permanent collection.

As Bruce and Doranna Wendel described their passion for collecting:
“When we first got into the game of collecting these boards, we were enraptured, as we still are, by the qualities that make them irresistibly collectible: design, color, paint surface, and hangability. We were definitely hooked, and we became interested in finding first-rate examples and learning more about the boards.”

A particularly striking example from the Wendel Collection, this monumental racetrack gameboard combines American sporting history, folk art, and bold modernist design. Its exceptional scale and graphic quality make it especially compelling as a statement piece.
Dimensions: 41 x 61 in. See less