Ongoing | New Mexico Museum of Art | Santa Fe, NM

Classic Hits

The New Mexico Museum of Art presents an ongoing exhibition that captures the heart of 20th century New Mexico art.

For the first time, the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe has composed a permanent gallery space showcasing regional New Mexico artwork of the 20th century. It’s a continuous exhibition for those iconic Southwestern works by the Taos Society of Artists, Los Cinco Pintores, Georgia O’Keeffe, Gustave Baumann and many others. “There’s never been a time where people could come to the museum and know they’d be able to see the works representative of these movements,” says Christian Waguespack, curator of 20th-century art at the New Mexico Museum of Art. John Sloan (1871-1951), Music in the Plaza (Plaza, Evening, Santa Fe), 1920, oil on canvas, 26 x 32”. Collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art. Gift of Mrs. Cyrus McCormick, 1952 (326.23P). Photo by Blair Clark.

“We’ve been collecting art for over 100 years now at the New Mexico Museum of Art, and one of the things I really love about our collection…is that [it comes] almost entirely from contemporary artists who were living and working in New Mexico at that time,” he says. “Our collection was built based on the visions of New Mexico artists working at that time. As our fledgling collection was coming together, these artists donated some of their best works to be part of our collection.” Many of these important works, he adds, are large, stunning paintings from the Taos Society—artists like Eanger Irving Couse and Joseph Henry Sharp. Bert Geer Phillips (1868-1956), Our Washerwoman’s Family - New Mexico, ca. 1918, oil on canvas, 40½ x 41⅝”. Collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art. Gift of Governor and Mrs. Arthur Seligman, before 1930 (537.23P). Photo by Cameron Gay.

Jozef G. Bakos (1891-1977), The Springtime Rainbow, 1923, oil on canvas, 29½ x 35½”. Collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art. Gift of Jozef G. Bakos in honor of Teresa Bakos, 1974 (3098.23P). Photo by Blair Clark.

Waguespack also highlights John Sloan, who many associate primarily with the Ashcan School and New York. “People will say, ‘I never knew Sloan worked in New Mexico,’ but he was very invested in the culture here…One of the things I really love about his work is his representations of Santa Fe and taking the principles of the Ashcan School and applying them to the West,” says Waguespack. Music in the Plaza (Plaza, Evening, Santa Fe), a jovial nocturne capturing a lively evening in the city, is one of Sloan’s major pieces in the exhibition. “[It’s] a wonderful example. It captures the plaza that is central to Santa Fe,” says Waguespack.Catharine Carter Critcher (1868-1964), Hopi Pottery Maker, ca. 1927, oil on canvas, 30 x 29”. Collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art. Gift of Toy D. and Helen Savage, 1996 (1996.1.1). Photo by Blair Clark.

While Selections from the Collection of 20th Century Art is an ongoing exhibition at the New Mexico Museum of Art, Waguespack says he does not want the show to become stagnant, so individual works of art will be periodically swapped out for others. “There’s finally a space set aside to view the classic hits of 20th century New Mexico art, [but] on your next visit you might see different paintings.” —

Selections from the Collection of 20th Century Art
Ongoing
New Mexico Museum of Art
107 W Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 476-5072, www.nmartmuseum.org