Of all the Western art destinations in the country—from Scottsdale to Great Falls, Santa Fe to Jackson Hole—few are as universally treasured and historically hallowed as Taos, New Mexico. Home to the centuries-old Taos Pueblo and the Taos Society of Artists, which helped transformed Western art in just 12 short years, Taos is the bedrock that so much of Western art is built on. In Europe they say all roads lead to Rome. In the West, all trails lead to Taos. John Coleman, Morning Blessings, oil on canvas, 18 x 26"

That is being made abundantly clear at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, where La Luz de Taos is now on display. The exhibition features 39 of the top Western artists working today. Many of them will openly admit their careers were directly influenced by the work of Taos artists—including the museum’s namesakes, Eanger Irving Couse and Joseph Henry Sharp—or at the very least they benefited from the work done by Taos artists a century earlier. The dozen members of the Taos Society of Artists could have not ever imagined their work would still be inspiring so many artists today.  Logan Maxwell Hagege, Where the Rain Falls and the Sun Shines, oil, 30 x 30"

Jerry Jordan, The Binding Force Which Bids Me Stay, oil on canvas, 16 x 20”

“The TSA left a profound artistic and social legacy,” says Davison Packard Koenig, executive director at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site. “Inspired by the light, landscape, culture and people of Taos valley, these 12 artists shared their skills and resources to achieve together an impact that far outweighs what they could have accomplished as individuals. Their shared vision, of creating a uniquely American art, permanently influenced not only the world of art but also prevailing perceptions of Native America and the West. The assembled artists in La Luz de Taos represent a breadth of backgrounds, drawing inspiration from the vast landscape and culturally diverse peoples of Taos and the American West.”Ed Mell, Changing Seasons, oil on linen, 22 x 22”

Ira Lujan, Black on Black Glass Pottery Wedding Vase, blown glass, 11 x 6”

The “culturally diverse” aspect of the exhibition is something Koenig is especially excited about. Not only is there Western paintings and bronzes, staples of any Western art show, but there is also an incredible selection of work by Native Americans. And not just more paintings and bronzes. La Luz de Taos will have glasswork by Ira Lujan, pottery by Susan Folwell and Russell Sanchez, photography by Cara Romero, jewelry by Pat Pruitt and Maria Samora, fashion by Patricia Michaels, bronze work by Tammy Garcia and paintings by Tony Abeyta. Their work will appear next to new pieces from Logan Maxwell Hagege, Josh Elliott, Glenn Dean, Mark Maggiori, Walt Gonske, Sherrie McGraw, Ed Mell, Paul Moore, Nicholas Coleman, Jim Vogel, Roseta Santiago and many others. Thomas Blackshear II, High Hat, oil, 31 x 23”

Susan Folwell, Rain Makers (Inspired by Eanger Irving Couse’s Hopi Flute Dance, 1922), clay with acrylic, leather and watercolor, 18 x 15 x 5”

The exhibition, which opened March 5, is on view in the Couse-Sharp Historic Site’s new Lunder Research Center through May 21, when the works will be sold during a biennial gala. The fixed-price, by-draw sale, will directly benefit the site and its mission to preserve and celebrate the Taos Society of Artists. “Our seventh biennial gala comes at a watershed moment for the Couse-Sharp Historic Site,” says Richard Rinehart, president of the organization’s board of directors. “In many ways it’s a debut of what we’ve been building here in Taos during the past few years of accelerated growth. The historic site is looking better than ever, and the Lunder Research Center is now a beautiful physical presence. We want to share our excitement as we continue the work to make our archives, library and collections accessible to everyone who loves this art and history as much as we do.”Mark Maggiori, Sacred Sunset, oil, 22½ x 24”

Josh Elliott, Full Swing on the Rio Grande, oil, 20 x 30”

John Coleman will not only be supplying the exhibition an artwork, but he has also donated the painting entirely to the museum to sell, knowing that all the proceeds can then be used by the site for its programming and exhibitions. “This is a community that is important to me,” Coleman says. “I’ve never been part of the Taos community, but I’ve always been interested in it and admired it. Anything an artist can do to plant seeds for the future, that’s always important.” Coleman’s piece is Morning Blessings, an oil painting that shows a young girl sitting quietly in deep shadows while she’s illuminated from above. The girl who modeled for the painting is the daughter of Oreland Joe, a fellow painter and sculptor.

Other work in the exhibition include the work of rising Western star Brett Allen Johnson, who paints a rocky hilltop in his distinctly modernist style; Taos painter Jerry Jordan, who painted people from the Taos Pueblo in a rainbow-like cascade of colorful wearing blankets; Ed Mell’s Changing Season, showing an abstracted storm fragmenting around a desert mountain; and Thomas Blackshear II, who paints a striking portrait of a Native American man in a magnificent hat. Also in the exhibition will be a weaving by Carla Bogdanoff, an elaborately framed painting by Jim Vogel and clothing items by Petecia Le Fawnhawk, as well as a new painting by her husband, Mark Maggiori. Eric Bowman, Little Big Man, oil, 8 x 10”

For Koenig, the executive director of the site, he’s excited to have great art on hand at this quantity and quality, but he’s also thrilled to have regular visitors again after a long period of by-appointment-only viewing as New Mexico has come out of the pandemic. “It was very quiet here for a long time,” he says. “But now we’re offering many reasons for people to come out and the see the site. Not to mention a big three-day party in May.”Carla Bogdanoff, weaving, Navajo churro wool, hand-dyed with natural and acid-free dyes

When it came time to choose the artists, Koenig, who famously keeps tabs on many aspects of the Western art market, said he already knew which artists to ask for artwork. “One of the great joys of my career is following the art scene very closely, including going to auctions and shows, going to exhibitions, reading Western Art Collector, following these artists on social media,” he says. “We wanted to carefully curate the show with the story of Taos in mind. So not only do our artists represent the diversity of the American West, they represent some of the tops artists working today.”Maria Samora, Lace Collection, necklace, oxidized sterling silver with 18K gold dots

Asked to speculate what the Taos Society of Artists would think of their work still being celebrated a century later, Koenig says: “I think they would be thrilled to know that there work was still relevant. It’s still achieving records prices at auction, it’s still shown in museums around the world, and its still inspiring new generations of artists.
I think they would be absolutely tickled to see all that.”—

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