The Eddie Basha collection is one of the largest, privately owned collections of contemporary Western American and American Indian art in the world. Housed in the 11,000-square-foot Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery in Chandler, Arizona, it includes more than 3,000 pieces of art in a variety of mediums and attracts visitors from around the world.

That collection had its start in 1971 when Basha made his first acquisition and continued to add to it until he passed away in 2013. He opened the gallery in 1992. Two years later, he doubled the gallery’s size and followed that with a second expansion in 1996. Three years later, the gallery underwent a complete renovation and, in 2001, additional square footage was added, housing both the Western American and American Indian collections.

We recently visited with Tammy Fontaine, Director of the Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery, and asked her to tell us more about the Eddie Basha collection.

Read the full article in the May/June 2023 issue.