Ostrich Chase, Buenos Aires - Auca

Ostrich Chase, Buenos Aires - Auca was painted by George Catlin in 1873, executed in oil on card that is mounted on paperboard. The work measures 47.3 cm by 65.8 cm. After Catlin’s death the painting passed to his daughters Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney and Elizabeth Wing Catlin, and remained in the family until 1912 when Elizabeth sold it to the American Museum of Natural History. Five years later Kennedy Galleries in New York sold the piece to Paul Mellon, who later gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1965.

The painting Ostrich Chase, Buenos Aires - Auca is currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it was accessioned as a gift in 1965. Prior to this acquisition, the work was sold in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York to collector Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Its earlier provenance traces to the American Museum of Natural History, which purchased the piece in 1912 from Elizabeth Wing Catlin, a daughter of the artist George Catlin.

The work remained in the Catlin family until that 1912 transaction, having descended from the artist to his daughters Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin.

While the artwork has a documented chain of custody involving major institutions and private collectors, the provided sources do not list specific exhibition histories or public display dates for the painting.

Ostrich Chase, Buenos Aires - Auca is an oil painting by American artist George Catlin, executed on card and mounted on paperboard. This work presents a lively genre scene, capturing a moment of intense action on a river. It features a boat carrying several figures, who are depicted in the midst of pursuing an ostrich through the water, alongside a backdrop of trees.

The painting illustrates a dramatic chase unfolding on a river, where figures in a boat, identifiable by their hats and sticks, are shown actively pursuing an ostrich. While the scene appears to capture a specific, authentic event, it is in fact an imaginative reconstruction. Catlin never traveled to Buenos Aires, the purported setting, instead composing this work years later based on various notes and speculative details.