The Lunder Research Center at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site in Taos, New Mexico, opened in 2022, dedicated to the work of the Taos Society of Artists and the life of the extraordinary artistic community. Incorporating the homes and studios of Eanger Irving Couse and Joseph Henry Sharp as well as their art, collections and ephemera, the site celebrates the past, present and future of the community.
Far Across the Rio Grande, 1939, etching, artist’s proof, ed. of 75, 97⁄8 x 137⁄8”. Gift of Marilyn and Richard Shoberg Family. Sanchez 361.As word has spread about the site’s desire to collect and house historic material and make it available for scholarly research, gifts have ranged from Sharp’s nightshirt to a donation of 12 prints by Gene Kloss from the Marilyn and Richard Shoberg Family. Davison Packard Koenig, executive director and curator at the site, says, “The donation to the Estate Art Program sparked our interest in telling Gene’s story and bringing her work and life back into focus here in Taos.”
The Couse-Sharp Historic Site is telling her story in the exhibition Etched in Memory: Gene Kloss’ Taosrunning through May 15 in the Lunder Research Center. It includes nearly 60 works of art, including watercolors, oils, drawings and copper plates, as well her iconic etchings and more than 20 letters handwritten by the artist.
Morning Worship, 1939, etching, drypoint, aquatint, artist’s proof (ed. of 30), 14 x 107/8”. The Hutson-Wiley & Echevarría Collection, Sanchez 360.
Gene Kloss (1903-1996) was the first woman printmaker to be elected to full membership in the National Academy of Design. She became known for her unique contributions to printmaking and her interpretation of the multiple cultures of the Southwest.
For nearly 20 years, Gene and Phillips Kloss traveled between Berkeley, California, and Taos, lugging Gene’s 60-pound portable press in the back of their vehicle. Alice Geneva Glaiser Kloss changed her name to Gene after marrying her poet/composer husband because she believed the less feminine name would make her work more accepted in the art world.
Moonlight Circle Dance, 1956, drypoint, aquatint, ed. of 125, 7¾ x 9¾”. Courtesy of Taos Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sanchez 461.
Eve of the Green Corn Ceremony - Domingo Pueblo, 1934, drypoint, aquatint, ed. of 130, 133⁄8 x 10¾”. Collection of David A. & Sheila J. Young. Sanchez 306.
She first visited Taos on a camping trip in 1925. In a 1964 oral history interview with the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution, she related, “And we came to Taos, camped up in Taos Canyon for two weeks and in that time I did innumerable paintings and drawings and etchings. I even took my little etching press with me. We bought a sack of concrete and set it up on a stump in the woods and I printed my plates there.”Koenig explains, “Kloss possessed a unique artistic sensibility and technical virtuosity that combined to create a singular vision of the ‘other’ in New Mexico. In her prolific career, Gene created an iconic body of work that is synonymous with the people, landscape and culture of New Mexico.”
Indian Singer, 1965, drypoint, etching, ed. of 50, 137⁄8 x 97⁄8”. Collection of David A. & Sheila J. Young. Sanchez 504
Untitled, graphite on paper, 51⁄8 x 5”. Collection of Greg Nelson
Her etching Far Across the Rio Grande, 1939, demonstrates her skill at portraying the subtleties of light and form with the foreground trees silhouetted against the vast vista. On the far horizon is Cerro Pedernal, often depicted by Georgia O’Keeffe.
Her interest in pueblo rituals is expressed in many of her etchings such as Eve of the Green Corn Ceremony - Domingo Pueblo, 1934. The exhibition contains a large oil, Buffalo Dancers at Fiesta, that captures the vibrant dance in firelight.
The Couse-Sharp Historic Site has recently received a collection of original Gene Kloss letters that are available for research at the center which “has a collecting scope that includes archival materials documenting the early art of Taos, with particular focus on female and Indigenous artists.” Koenig comments, “This show will raise the profile of our need for donations of materials that will help us tell a more nuanced story of Gene Kloss and her dynamic artist community in Taos.” —
Etched in Memory: Gene Kloss’ Taos
Through May 15, 2023
Couse-Sharp Historic Site, The Lunder Research Center, 138 Kit Carson Road, Taos, NM 87571
(575) 751-0369,
www.couse-sharp.org
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