| Introduction List of Active Members of the Taos
Society of Artists Taos Society of Artists
(General Books) Selected List of Museums with Works by TSA Members in the Collection Selected List of Art Galleries that Deal in Art by TSA Members
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The Taos Society of Artists (TSA) was essentially a sales cooperative. At the time that the Society was formed, on July 15 1915, Taos was a very isolated small New Mexican community, without art galleries and without a major art buying clientele. The purpose of the organization, as stated in their Constitution and By-laws[1], was primarily to stimulate general interest in art, to develop a high standard of quality among its members, and to promote the work of its members through traveling exhibitions. The six artists that founded the TSA in 1915 were: Bert Geer Phillips, Ernest L. Blumenschein, Joseph Henry Sharp, Oscar E. Berninghaus, E. Irving Couse and W. Herbert Dunton. These six artists are generally referred to as "the Taos Founders" or "the Founders", because they were the first artists to settle more or less permanently in Taos to paint, thus forming the beginning of the Taos art colony. Phillips and Blumenschein, who shared a studio in New York, had arrived in Taos in September of 1898, when, on a painting trip to Mexico, twenty miles north of Taos a wheel of their wagon broke, which they consequently had repaired in Taos. Impressed by the landscape and the Native American and Hispanic cultures present in Taos, they decided not to continue to Mexico but to stay here to paint. Shortly thereafter, Phillips fell in love with the sister of the local doctor and settled permanently in Taos; Blumenschein returned after a couple of months to New York because of obligations he had there. From the beginning of his stay in Taos, Phillips tried to convince other artists to join him; he felt lonely (only 25 Anglos lived in Taos at the time of his arrival) and he felt that the scenery of New Mexico offered a lifetime of work for many artists. At his urgings, one after another, the other five artists came to Taos to paint, some of them settling there permanently, others at first only spending the summers. These artists knew each other from the art schools they attended in the U.S. and abroad, in places such as Antwerp, Düsseldorf, Munich and Paris. Blumenschein and Phillips, for example, studied at the Académie Julian in Paris around 1894, where they met Sharp. Sharp told them about the Taos pueblo, where he had sketched for a couple of weeks in 1893 on a commission for Harper's Weekly. Based on the events described above, either Phillips or Sharp is considered to be the father of the Taos art colony. The artists who became members of the TSA formed a diverse group. Many of them had formal academic training and some, like Sharp and Couse, continued to paint in an academic style, while others were receptive to the influence of newer modernist approaches, like Blumenschein and Higgins. The way in which they approached their subjects varied widely, but they were all tired of traditional academic subjects and they were all following the call for a truly American art, which they thought could be found in authentic American subject matter such as the American landscape and the Native American population. The TSA was modeled on the Society of Western Artists of which Phillips, Sharp and Julius Rolshoven had been members. Another prototype was the Society of Men Who Paint the Far West, to which Couse and Blumenschein had belonged. Membership was divided into active, associate and honorary members. Meetings were annual, extra meetings were held whenever deemed necessary. At the founding meeting the rule was adopted that in order to be elected as a member of the TSA, an artist must have worked in Taos for three consecutive years, which proved their long-term interest in the area. Those who could not fulfill this requirement could participate in the exhibitions of the TSA as associate members. Between 1917 and 1926 several artists, who were attracted by the fame of Taos that had spread through the activities of the Society, joined the TSA as active members. These were Victor Higgins, Walter Ufer, Julius Rolshoven, Catherine C. Critcher, E. Martin Hennings and Kenneth Adams. Nine associate members and two honorary members were also added. A list of active members with dates when they joined and, sometimes, left the TSA has been added as an appendix.[2] It seems that the year 1918 constituted the peak of the success of the Society, by then the traveling exhibitions were the major event of the year in many cities. Later, problems started to develop within the organization, by 1927 some of the TSA members felt that the organization had outlived its purpose. They had become famous and were no longer motivated to put effort into the organization of traveling exhibitions. It appears that the TSA was disbanded at a special meeting in March of 1927. In the following years, the fame of the members of the TSA gradually faded. Their style, which was rooted in their traditional academic training, was now considered as old fashioned, in addition, art patronage suffered severely from the Depression. By 1936, three of the members had died and Victor Higgins died in 1949. The late 1950's and early 1960's saw a renewed interest in the art of the TSA members, an interest that was initiated by an intense promotion of Leon Gaspard, also an early Taos artist, by the Maxwell Galleries Ltd. of San Francisco around 1958[3] and the publication of Van Deeren Coke's Taos and Santa Fe: The Artist's Environment, 1882-1942 in 1963.[4] More publications on the TSA and the Taos art colony followed. A selection can be found in this annotated bibliography. Readers should keep in mind, however, that the literature that was written before 1983, the year in which the official records of the TSA were published, had to rely on secondary sources of information and therefore tends to give incorrect dates for certain events. This guide was compiled primarily for use by the guides of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis. This museum has an extensive collection of works of art by members of the TSA; all active members are represented except for Julius Rolshoven. Other parties interested in the TSA and its members, for example visitors of the museum or guides in other museums with similar collections, may also benefit from this guide. While compiling this guide, an effort was made to include all the major monographs on the TSA. However, these publications are limited in number. Also included was literature on the Taos art colony in general, since the TSA is often discussed as an intrinsic part of the latter. Furthermore, related literature was included to broaden the spectrum. Selected lists for further reading were added for the individual active members of the TSA: whenever a monograph had been published on the individual artist, it was included in that list. (Hardly anything has been published on Kenneth Adams, Catharine Critcher, Julius Rolshoven and Walter Ufer as individual artists.) For easy reference, the sections on the artists were arranged in alphabetical order, according to the name of the artist. Within each section, the sources were arranged in chronological order. Because the number of total publications is limited, the literature included ranges from relatively scholarly works to more popular works. Many of the articles published in magazines such as Southwest Art, for example, could be characterized as "coffee table literature", while the texts in exhibition catalogues can be of rather scholarly quality. The selection of titles for this guide was further limited by the fact that a considerable number of publications, in particular exhibition catalogs, were not available for physical examination and could not be obtained through interlibrary loans. Most publications included in this list, can be found in the libraries of museums with a collection of works by TSA members, such as the Eiteljorg Museum. Larger public libraries and some academic libraries may well have them in their collections. Other publications would be available through interlibrary loans. My search for sources on this topic started with an examination of the books that were available in the research library of the Eiteljorg Museum. Subsequently, the OPAC's of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming and of the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas were searched. Of the nine other museums that, together with the Eiteljorg Museum, form the consortium "Museums West", these are the only museums with comparable collections that have an online library catalogue. These OPAC's, especially the Amon Carter Museum library catalog, provided official Library of Congress subject headings with which other databases also could be searched. Other databases that were searched for books, theses, articles and audiovisual materials were: World Cat, Library of Congress, IUCAT, INDYCAT, the OPAC of the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library, Books in Print Online, Dissertation Abstracts (1861-1993 and 1994- present), Art Index Retrospective (11/71-8/84), Art Abstracts (9/84-11/99), Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1987-), Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-1994), Bibliography of the History of Art on CD-ROM, formerly RILA, (1991-1997 and 1997-) and Bowker's Complete Video Directory on Disc. In general, these databases were searched by exact subject heading or by keyword when that appeared to produce better results. The subject headings used were Taos Society of Artists, Taos School of Art, Taos Ten, Taos art colony, the names of the individual artists and numerous more general subject headings such as Painters-New Mexico-Taos or Art, Modern-20th century-New Mexico. The more general subject headings produced numerous hits, but only very few were relevant. Besides the databases, printed sources were also examined, such as: Eugene P. Sheehy's Guide to Reference Books (Chicago: American Library Ass, 1986). More specific art historical reference sources examined were: Etta Arntzen's and Robert Rainwater's Guide to the Literature of Art History (Chicago: American Library Ass, 1980), Donald L. Ehresmann's Fine Arts: A Bibliographic Guide to Basic Reference Works, Histories, and Handbooks (Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1975) and E. Louise Lucas' Art Books: A basic Bibliography on the Fine Arts (Greenwich, CT: New York Graphic Soc, 1968). These bibliographic guides only contained works on more general art subjects, except for Sheehy's work that mentioned Bernard Karpel's Arts in America: A Bibliography (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1979). This source had been mentioned to me in interviews with librarians of the museums participating in the Museums West consortium, while working on a different project. As expected, WORLD CAT turned out to be a very comprehensive bibliographic source. There were only a few titles of books and catalogues that showed up in searches of the OPAC's of the Amon Carter Museum, the Library of Congress and in bibliographies contained in literature on the TSA that had not been found in WORLD CAT. WORLD CAT proved also a good source for audiovisual materials, vertical file contents and contents of archives. Bernard Karpel's bibliographic guide, which contains a section on art of the West, covered more catalogue titles, but those citations often turned out to be insufficient to locate materials for interlibrary loans. This source also was found to be outdated. To find sources on the
Internet, the search engine Dogpile was used. Through this search engine
only one useful web site was located, using the keyword Taos Society of
Artists. Searches of the new database of OCLC, CORC, and the Internet
sites that are listed in the subject directory of the IUPUI
University Library under Art, did not produce results. LIST OF ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE TAOS SOCIETY OF ARTISTS 1. Joseph H. Sharp: (charter), July 1915. 2. Ernest L. Blumenschein: (charter), July 1915. 3. Bert G. Phillips: (charter), July 1915. 4. Oscar E. Berninghaus: (charter), July 1915. 5. E. Irving Couse: (charter), July 1915. 6. W. Herbert Dunton: (charter), July 1915; resigned in 1922. 7. Walter Ufer: elected July 15, 1917. 8. Victor Higgins: elected July 15, 1917. 9. Julius Rolshoven: elected associate member on July 15, 1917; elected active member on July 16, 1918; returned to associate status on July 23, 1923. 10. Catharine C. Critcher: elected July 12, 1924. 11. E. Martin Hennings: elected July 12, 1924. 12. Kenneth Adams: elected July 12, 1926. Luhan, Mabel Dodge. Taos and its artists. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1947. In this ode to Taos, Mabel Dodge Luhan gives an eyewitness account of life in the Taos art colony. She talks about the artists as they came and left, from the very beginning until 1947, describing the style of their work and the houses in which they lived. She also elaborates on what life was like among the artists and the Native Americans in Taos. Among the many artists whom she discusses are Blumenschein, Berninghaus, Higgins, Phillips and Ufer. The text is illustrated with portraits of the artists and examples of their works in black and white. Also included are short biographies with awards, exhibitions and collections. Coke, Van Deren. Taos and Santa Fe: The Artist's Environment, 1882-1942. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P for the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Ft. Worth, Texas and the Art Gallery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 1963. This richly documented book represents a chronological study of the artists who worked in New Mexico, particularly in Taos and Santa Fe, at any point in time for the period from 1882 until 1942, when the U.S. entered WW. II. The artists are discussed in the chronological order in which they arrived in Santa Fe or Taos to work. Attention is paid to their background, training and personality. Their style, choice of subject and the ways in which they influenced each other are analyzed and illustrated with pictures of their work. The formation of several artists organizations, such as the Taos Society of Artists, is also discussed. All TSA members are covered. Included are a chronology of the cultural life of Taos and Santa Fe, separate short biographies of the artists that list works in collections, murals, awards and a bibliography. Illustrations are in color and in black and white. An Exhibition of Paintings of the Southwest from the Santa Fe Railway Collection. [Phoenix]: n.p., [1966] Among the works, belonging to the Santa Fe Railway Collection, which are reproduced in this exhibition catalogue, are works by Taos Society of Artists members E. Irving Couse, Oscar E. Berninghaus, Ernest Blumenschein, Walter Ufer, E. Martin Hennings, Bert Phillips, Victor Higgins, W. Herbert Dunton and Joseph H. Sharp. The black and white illustrations are accompanied by short biographies of the artists and a listing of collections that contain works by the artist. Trenton, Patricia. Picturesque images from Taos and Santa Fe; An Exhibition Sponsored by The First National Bank of Denver and The Denver Art Museum. January 12-March 17, 1974. Denver: n.p., 1974. The introduction to this catalog contains a very concise history of Taos as an art colony. This introduction is followed by alphabetically arranged short biographies of numerous artists who worked in the Taos art colony from the very beginning until World War II. The biographies are complemented by illustrations of several artworks with a stylistic and compositional analysis or an explanation of the subject matter. Provenance and exhibitions of the works are also mentioned. Lists of selected exhibitions and a selected bibliography are included. Illustrations are in color and black and white.
Broder, Patricia Janis. Taos, a Painter's Dream. Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1980. This publication contains a concise historical overview of the artists who visited Taos, beginning in the 16th century, and a detailed discussion of the Taos Society of Artists. Subsequent chapters describe the history and culture of the Taos Pueblo, of Spanish New Mexico and of the settlement by the Anglos. The modern struggle of the Native Americans for their rights is also included. Special attention is paid to the background of the Penitente rituals and the impact of the pioneers of the art colony on all three cultures in the area. These chapters are followed by detailed biographies of the individual members of the TSA, which examine their background and the motivations that brought them to Taos. Little attention is paid to a stylistic analysis of the artists' works. All active members of the TSA are covered, except Julius Rolshoven. A chronology, a bibliography and notes on the artists are included. The numerous illustrations are in color and black and white. Nelson, Mary Carroll. The legendary artists of Taos:Expanded from the Pages American Artist. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1980. This book consists primarily of concise biographies of painters who were members of the Taos Society of Artists and of those who lived in Taos but were not members. In the biographies personalities, oeuvres, favorite subjects, awards and major collections are described. Also discussed are what life in Taos was like, at the time, for the artists, their impact on the art world and the workings of the TSA. The artists are placed in an art historical perspective. All active TSA members are featured, except Julius Rolshoven. Illustrations, including historic photographic material, are in black and white and color. A bibliography is included. Light & Color: Images from New Mexico: Masterpieces from the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of New Mexico. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico, 1981. In this exhibition catalogue, fifty works from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts are presented that were produced by many of the best-known artists who used to work, or do still work, in New Mexico. The works are stylistically and compositionally analyzed and are arranged alphabetically according to the names of the artists. Short biographies of the artists, listing solo exhibitions and public collections in which their works can be found, are also provided. In foreword and introduction a concise history of New Mexico and the Museum is given and the place of the members of the Taos Society of Artists and their art in American art history is discussed. Active members of the TSA whose works are discussed, are: Adams, Berninghaus, Blumenschein, Higgins, Phillips, Sharp and Ufer. Illustrations are in color and black and white. Bickerstaff, Laura. Pioneer Artists of Taos. Rev. and exp. ed. Denver: Old Publishing Company, 1983. The 1955 edition of this book represented the first extensive study of the members of the Taos Society of Artists. In this revised and extended edition introductory chapters, written by experts in the field, provide the history of the Taos Society of Artists and a critical analysis of their art. Discussed are their conceptions on art, their mutual influence, trends that influenced their styles, etc. Individual chapters on each of the TSA members represent very detailed biographies in anecdotal style. They contain first-hand information from those who knew the artists and from some of the artists themselves. For the second edition chapters were added on Walter Ufer, Victor Higgins, E. Martin Hennings and Kenneth Adams, written by their biographers. All active members of the TSA, except Catharine Critcher and Julius Rolshoven, are covered. Included are bibliographical references and colored and black and white illustrations. Also included is some historical photographic material. Broder, Patricia Janis. New Images of Taos. The American West. The Modern Vision. By Broder. Boston: New York Graphic Soc, 1984. 197-227. This chapter focuses on artists who worked in the Taos art colony for both long and short periods of time, and who were modernists. In addition, the lives and personalities of many who played a role in the establishment of modernism in the Taos art colony, such as Mable Dodge Luhan, are discussed. Among the artists whose careers and lives in Taos are decribed and whose oeuvres are stylistically analyzed, are Taos Society of Artists active members Victor Higgins and Kenneth Adams. Illustrations are in color and black and white. Trenton, Patricia, and Patrick Houlihan. Native Faces: Indian Cultures in American Art. From the Collections of the Los Angeles Athletic Club and the Southwest Museum. Los Angeles, California: LAACO. and the Southwest Museum, 1984. This exhibition catalogue features a number of artists who depicted Native American life in California, the Southwest and on the Plains. Articles in which one or more paintings of an artist are analyzed by an art historian are combined with articles by an anthropologist, in which the depiction of the particular Native American culture is analyzed and supplemented with pictures of Native American objects. Among the artists featured are Taos Society of Artists members Kenneth Adams, Oscar Berninghaus, Ernest Blumenschein, E. Irving Couse, Victor Higgins, Joseph Sharp and Walter Ufer, A list of Collections and Exhibitions for the artworks is provided. Illustrations are in color. Udall, Sharon Rohlfson. Modernist Painting in New Mexico. 1913-1935.Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1984. In this book modernist art in New Mexico is analyzed within the larger context of modernism in America. Discussed is what attracted modernists to the Southwest and what fundamentally distinguished the conservative traditional Taos and Santa Fe painters from the modernists. Attention is paid to the developments in modernism before 1920 and the influence of the Armory Show that was strongly felt in New Mexico. Also described is the cultural climate in New Mexico. In subsequent chapters, artists who worked in New Mexico and who represented different movements in modernist painting are discussed. Taos Society of Artists members Kenneth Adams and Victor Higgins are discussed on p.191-193 and p.184-191 respectively. Adams' style and the influences on it are analyzed and Higgins' preoccupation with aesthetic theory during the 20's and 30's is discussed, as are his stylistic development and his non modernist subject matter. A selected bibliography is included. Illustrations are in color and black and white. Witt, David L. The Taos Artists: A Historical Narrative and Biographical Dictionary. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Ewell Fine Art, 1984. This booklet represents a study of the Taos art community and its artists. In the first part, origins and history are covered from the very beginning in 1898 until the present day. Many artists and movements which played a role in the art life of Taos, such as the Taos Society of Artists, are discussed. The author tries to analyze and put into historic perspective the "mythology" around Taos, a romantic identity that was, according to the author, created by the Taos "founders" through their paintings. The second part of the booklet is a biographical dictionary and consists of concise biographies of Taos artists of the past and the present. Often a commentary on the artist and his work is given. All active TSA members are covered except Julius Rolshoven. A selected bibliography is included. The text is illustrated with black and white pictures of some of the artists. Eldredge, Charles C., et al. Art in New Mexico, 1900-1945: Paths to Taos and Santa Fe. Washington, DC: National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Abbeville, 1986. This book defines how underlying cultural currents influenced the choice of subject matter of the two generations of artists that worked in New Mexico from 1900 until 1945, and how they approached their subjects. Separate chapters discuss the changes in image of the various groups of Native Americans, the cultural factors that played a role in the way the Pueblo Indian and Hispanic motifs were chosen and depicted, and how the various painters solved the problem of how to depict the new type of landscape with which they were confronted in New Mexico. Attention is also paid to the academic roots of the first generation of New Mexico painters, to efforts to revive and preserve the Native American and Hispanic arts and to the stylistic influence of the second generation painters on some of the first generation painters. Included are a chronology of the cultural history of New Mexico, biographies of many of the artists mentioned and a bibliography. Illustrations are in color and black and white. Berman, Avis. "Art: Taos Landscapes. Pioneer Artists Depict the Grandeur of New Mexico." Architectural Digest Mar.1987: 158-163. This article concentrates primarily on the difficulty that the academically trained Taos Society of Artists members had in depicting the unfamiliar setting of the New Mexico landscape. Recounted is how Sharp, Higgins, and Ufer adopted plein-air painting and how their painting techniques, and those of Berninghaus, changed and matured. Higgins's ideas on landscape painting are cited and Marin's influence on his style is discussed. The text is illustrated with color reproductions of works by Hennings, Ufer, Higgins, Sharp and Berninghaus. Samuels, Peggy, et al. Techniques of the Artists of the American West. Secaucus, N.J.: Wellfleet, 1990. This book contains studies of the painting methods that were used by the most important American artists of the Old West, who worked between 1830 and 1929. For each artist whose technique is discussed, a biography is given, accompanied by a portrait, plus an analysis of his stylistic development. The painterly technique of the artist is explored through a thorough technical analysis of one particular work. Members of the Taos Society of Artists who are covered in this book are: Oscar Berninghaus (p.13-24), Ernest Blumenschein (p.49-60) and Joseph Sharp (p.207-216). Included is a glossary of technical terms and general, biographic and technical bibliographies. Illustrations are in color and black and white. D'Emilio, Sandra, and Susan Campbell. Visions & Visionaries: The Art & Artists of the Santa Fe Railway. Salt Lake City: Peregrine Smith, 1991. This book tells how the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway launched an innovative advertising campaign to promote tourism to the Southwest. It tells how artworks were bought that either depicted the Grand Canyon, one of the destinations of the Railway, or works that conveyed the mystique of the Southwest Indian Country and how these were put to use in a variety of ways within the framework of the advertising campaign. Additional attention is paid to the role that the development of the Fred Harvey Company played in the promotion of the Railway, of Southwest art and artists, and of Native American crafts. Also discussed is the special working relationship between the Railway and E. Irving Couse, the imagery of Southwestern artists such as E. Martin Hennings and Walter Ufer, and how the support of the Railway brought them recognition. The text, which is illustrated with historic photo material, is followed by color illustrations of works in the Santa Fe Railway collection, many of which were produced by members of the Taos Society of Artists. A bibliography is included. White,Robert R., ed. The Taos Society of Artists. 2nd ed. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico, 1998. This book presents the long lost records of the
Taos Society of Artists and constitutes the primary source of
information on the history of the Society and its dealings during the
entire period of its existence. It contains the transcripts of most of
the material contained in the TSA file at the Fray Angélico Chávez
History Library of the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe. Detailed
annotations provide information on the people, places and events
mentioned. The preface and the introduction to this new edition give a
concise history of the TSA and some of the events that were of special
importance in the history of the society are highlighted. Also included
is a brief discussion of some of the misconceptions regarding exact year
of formation and regarding the exact membership of the TSA in important
works which were published before the first publication of The Taos
Society of Artists in 1983 and which therefore were based on secondary sources. This
section also includes an important discussion of the well-known
photograph usually erroneously described as the "Taos Society of
Artists in 1927". A complete list of all the active, associate and
honorary members, including the dates when they were elected as members,
is included. Illustrations
are in black and white. Porter, Dean, et al. Taos Artists and Their Patrons: 1898-1950. U of Notre Dame: Snite Museum of Art, 1999. This book, that was accompanied by an exhibition, constitutes a richly documented in depth study of the patronage of the artists that worked in Taos some time between 1898 and 1950. Included are not only the founders of the Taos art colony, but also artists who arrived somewhat later, including the modernist painters. Art patronage is discussed in all its possible forms. Also examined are the possible detrimental and beneficial effects of patronage. Within the context of the book, the creation of the Taos art colony, the patronage of the Santa Fe Railway and the dealings of the Taos Society of Artists are described. In the after word the role of art historians, art dealers and private collectors in the rekindling of interest in the art of the Taos art colony is recounted. Included are biographies of the artists with further readings and a selected bibliography. Illustrations, which include historic photo material, are in color and black and white. KENNETH MILLER ADAMS (1874-1960) Coke, Van Deren. Kenneth M. Adams: A Retrospective Exhibition. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 1964. In the introduction to this exhibition catalogue, Adam's style and the major influences on its evolvement are analyzed. In addition, his subject matter and his approach of his subjects, which contrasted with those of the other painters in Taos and Santa Fe, are discussed. Special attention is paid to the major role that color plays in his work. Through direct quotations Adam's working practices, his views on the use of color and his conceptions of certain artists are illustrated. His lithographic work is also discussed. Included are a chronology, a bibliography plus a list of murals and works in public collections. Illustrations are in black and white. OSCAR E. BERNINGHAUS (1874-1952) Epoch Marking Events of American History: A
Series of Historical Pictures Painted by O.E. Berninghaus. St. Louis: Anheuser-Busch, 1914. This booklet is a compilation of a series of posters that Berninghaus painted for the brewery Anheuser-Busch. It was presented to schools for educational purposes. The posters showed historical scenes. Each illustration is in color and is accompanied by a text with historical information. Sanders, Gordon E. Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Frontier West. Taos, N.M.: Taos Heritage, 1985. This work represents an illustrated biography, which gives a detailed account of Berninghaus's life and career as a painter against the background of Native American life in Taos. No extensive stylistic analysis of the artist's work is given. Included is a Catalogue of Known Paintings. Illustrations are in color and black and white and include many historical photographs. Also provided are a chronology and a bibliography. Foley, Brigitte Marie."Joseph H. Sharp's Cincinnati and Oscar Berninghaus' St. Louis: The City as Patron." thesis, U of Notre Dame,1995, 30-52, 53-57. In the second chapter, and the conclusion of this thesis, the support is described that Berninghaus received from his hometown St. Louis through various forms of patronage. Analyzed is how these different types of patronage caused a duality in his style, because they either promoted or stifled Berninghaus' attempts to defeat Anglo stereotypes of Native Americans in his work. A bibliography is included. Illustrations are in color and black and white. ERNEST L. BLUMENSCHEIN (1874-1960) "The Deep Running Spirit of the Indian… Ernest L. Blumenschein." American Scene Fall 1960: 6-7+. This article, written on the occasion of Blumenschein's death, consists mainly of extensive quotations from his account of the painting trip that he and Bert Phillips made from Denver to Mexico, the accident with their wagon near Taos and the beginning of their stay in Taos. Awards won and memberships of art organizations are listed. Illustrations are in color. Ernest L. Blumenschein Retrospective: Colorado
Springs Fine Arts Center, March 5 - April 16, 1978. Colorado
Springs: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 1978. The text of this exhibition catalogue provides a detailed biography of Blumenschein with integrated analyses of paintings that were shown at the Exhibition. Attention is paid to the beginnings of the Taos Society of Artists, its purpose, its effect on the reputation of the Taos community and its workings. Blumenschein's account of his painting trip with Bert Phillips from Denver to Mexico, the accident near Taos and the beginning of their stay there is extensively quoted. Quotations from his letters, articles and personal notes give insight into his developing theories of art, his views on the Armory Show and modern art, his thought processes and working practices and the criteria by which Blumenschein judged his own artwork. Illustrations are in black and white. Checklists of paintings and awards and a bibliography are included. The Blumenscheins of Taos: August 17 through September 23, 1979. Flagstaff: Museum of Northern Arizona, 1979. This catalogue gives a short biography of the three members of the Blumenschein family: Ernest L., his wife Mary Greene and their daughter Helen Greene. Their personalities, their artwork and their love for Taos are discussed and their styles analyzed. Illustrations of works by the artists are in color and black and white. Wilson, Maggie. "Ernest Blumenschein…only to
paint." Southwest Art
Oct.1982 74-83. This article provides a concise biography of Blumenschein, in which the beginnings of the Taos colony are described and illustrated with quotations of the artist. Through quotations of Blumenschein's daughter Helen is described what life was like in Taos in the early days. The activities of the Taos Society of Artists are also mentioned and Blumenschein's well-known remarks about the need for a new stimulating subject that existed among the early Taos painters are quoted. Illustrations are in color. Woloshuk, Nicholas. E. Irving Couse: 1866-1936.
Santa Fe: Santa Fe Village Art Museum, 1976. This work is essentially an illustrated biography of Irving Couse; little attention is paid to his stylistic development. Discussed are his work practices, how he studied the Native Americans and how he painted them. A separate chapter discusses his working relation with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company. Fragments of contemporary newspaper articles on Couse have been reprinted.. More than 300 illustrations, in color and black & white, show a cross section of his art during the different periods of his life and are arranged by subject. Historical photographic material, lists of memberships, awards and museums representing Couse's paintings are included. Leavitt, Virginia Couse. Eanger Irving Couse:
Image Maker for America. Albuquerque:
Albuquerque Museum, 1991. In this book, which was written to accompany an exhibition, Couse's life and career as an artist are discussed. Special attention is paid to his feelings about Indian life and customs and to the methods that he used in the creation of his paintings, in particular his use of photography. Also discussed are the developments of style and content in his work as well as the history of the Taos Society of Artists. Included is a catalogue of works with interpretations by the author, a chronology and a bibliography. Illustrations are in color and black & white. CATHARINE C. CRITCHER (1868-1964) Broder, Patricia Janis. "Catharine C. Critcher 1868-1964. Portraits of the Pueblo People." Southwest Art April 1981: 111-115. This article is an excerpt from Broder's account of the life of Catharine Critcher as it was published in Taos: A Painter's Dream (Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1980.) It consists of a biography and a discussion of Critcher's subject matter. Stylistic changes and influences are briefly discussed. Illustrations are in color; a portrait of the artist is also included. Schimmel, Julie. The Art and Life of W. Herbert
Dunton, 1878-1936. Austin:
Published for the Stark Museum
of Art, Orange, Texas, by the U of Texas P, 1984. This book presents a richly documented,
detailed discussion of Dunton's personality, life, and work according to
subject matter. In the process, changes in choice of subject matter and
the way in which he approached the various subjects, are analyzed. All
this is discussed within the American artistic and cultural context of
his time. A separate chapter is devoted to his stylistic development.
Additional extensive information about Dunton's oeuvre is given in a
Catalogue of Known Works, a Catalogue of Illustrations, and an
Exhibition Record. A bibliography is also included. Illustrations are in
black and white and in color. Grauer, Michael R. W. Herbert Dunton: A Retrospective. Canyon,Texas: Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 1991. The text in this exhibition catalogue represents a well documented stylistic analysis of Dunton's oeuvre. It traces and illustrates the changes in style and subject matter that occurred in Dunton's work over the years and compares his style with that of his fellow Taos painters and that of Regionalist Grant Wood. Art theories that possibly influenced Dunton are discussed, while paying special attention to the American Regionalist movement. Quoting Dunton often, his concepts about painting and composition are exposed. Also discussed are his lithographic work and his portrait drawings. Included are a chronology and bibliographic references. Illustrations are in color and black and white. E. MARTIN HENNINGS (1886-1956) Color, Pattern & Plane: E. Martin Hennings
in Taos. February 5-November 2, 1986. An Exhibition at the Stark Museum
of Art. Orange, Texas. Orange,TX:
Nelda C. & H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 1986. This exhibition catalogue contains two essays. One gives a general overview of the course of Hennings' career and the evolution of his artwork. Special attention is paid to influences of his environment, such as his move to Taos and associations with art patrons, fellow art students, models and fellow Taos Society of Art members. The other essay draws a picture of Hennings' experiences and stylistic development against the backdrop of the search for an American identity in art, that dominated American artistic thought at the time. (Stylistic influences and concepts to which Hennings was exposed and were obvious in his work, as well as his painting techniques and compositions, are analyzed.) Also included are a chronology, a selected bibliography and a checklist of items in the exhibition. Illustrations are in color and black & white. E. Martin Hennings: Paintings & Works on Paper from Europe & Taos. Santa Fe: Gerald Peters Gallery, 1991. This exhibition catalogue contains a concise overview of Hennings' life and artistic career. The color illustrations show paintings from Hennings' years in Taos and less well-known works which he painted during his studies and travels in Europe. Short captions describe Hennings' stylistic development and his experiment with printmaking in 1921. Also included are a chronology, a selected bibliography and a list of selected collections. Porter, Dean A. Victor Higgins: an American
Master. Salt Lake City:
Peregrine Smith, 1991. This book, which was written as companion to an exhibition, gives an account of Higgins' life and his career as a painter. Not only does the book provide insight into the personality of the painter, it also analyzes the stylistic development of his work. The selected catalogue of works that is included, constitutes the first chronological listing of Higgins' largely undated oeuvre. The book has a selected bibliography. Illustrations are in color and black and white. Victor Higgins, 1884-1949: Retrospective
Exhibition: November 21, 1971 through January 16, 1972. [Santa Fe]:
Museum of New Mexico, Fine Arts Museum, 1971. In this exhibition catalog, essays draw a picture of the early Taos and Santa Fe art colonies, and of Higgins' personality. A concise biography is provided, plus a characterization of Higgins as an artist. The styles and principal subjects of Higgins and the other members of the Taos Society of Artists are briefly described. Special attention is paid to Higgins' subjects and to his "Little Gems.” Included are a chronology that lists awards, and a list of public collections that contain his works. Illustrations are in color and black and white. The Art Gallery of The University of Notre Dame
and the Indianapolis Museum of Art present Victor Higgins: an Indiana
Born Artist Working in Taos, New Mexico. [South Bend]; Art Gallery,
U of Notre Dame; [Indianapolis]: Indianapolis Museum of
Art, 1975. Besides biographical data, the essay in this catalog provides a characterization of Higgins as an artist. His stylistic development throughout his artistic career and the evolution of his themes is analyzed. Also discussed are his preoccupation with the theory of Dynamic Symmetry in Composition and the introduction of abstraction in his work. Special attention is devoted to his later watercolors, his so-called "Little Gem" oil sketches, and the potential influences of John Marin on these. Illustrations include historic photo material and are in color and black and white. Included are a bibliography and a list of works in the exhibition. BERT GEER PHILLIPS (1868-1956) King, Jeanne Snodgrass. "Bert Phillips and His
Letters to Thomas Gilcrease."
The Gilcrease Magazine of American History and Art 2 (1
Feb. 1980): 26-27. This article reproduces a couple of letters that Phillips and Mr. Gilcrease, who collected the work of Taos Society of Artists members, exchanged about paintings. One of the letters describes, on the request of Mr. Gilcrease, the circumstances under which Phillips painted "Taos Deer Hunter", a work that had been acquired by this art patron. Illustrations are in color. Schimmel, Julie and Robert R. White. Bert Geer
Phillips and the Taos Art Colony. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P,
1994. This richly documented book about Phillips is not a traditional chronological biography. In a series of essays certain facets of the artist's life and work are discussed. The book points out how Phillips wanted to join into the efforts of the local Anglos to further the growth and modernization of rural Taos, through the development of an art colony. His role in the founding of the Taos Society of Artists is also discussed in this context. The book contains detailed essays on Phillips's early years, on the early years of the Taos art colony and the history of the TSA. A separate essay discusses Phillips's style, technique and choice of subjects in the context of his academic training. In these essays attention is paid to Phillips's interests, possible influences on his career path and on the subject matter that he chose to paint. The mural projects in which he participated, together with other TSA members, are also discussed in detail. Another essay reflects on how the Anglo artists in New Mexico portrayed the other cultural and ethnic groups that lived around them. Included are an exhibition record, a catalogue of known works, various essays by Phillips, his letters to Blumenschein and a bibliography. Illustrations include historic photo material and are in color and black and white. Julius Rolshoven. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico, 1954. The introduction to this exhibition catalogue provides biographical information and recounts how Rolshoven, although he lived most of his life in Florence, Italy, called Santa Fe his second home and how he regularly visited it during the summer to paint. The text also mentions museums that have his work in their collections. Illustrations are in black and white, a checklist of paintings in the exhibition is included. JOSEPH HENRY SHARP (1859-1953) Fenn, Forrest. The Beat of the Drum and the
Whoop of the Dance: A Study of the
Life and Work of Joseph Henry Sharp.
Santa Fe: Fenn Publishing Co., 1983. This book represents a very detailed, richly documented biography of Joseph Henry Sharp. No special attention is paid to Sharp's stylistic development. Described are the personalities of the painter and of the people who surrounded him. Also discussed are stylistic influences and his attitude towards his Native American models and their culture. The book offers, besides colored illustrations of his artworks, extensive historical photographic material. A list of paintings, with titles and, when available, dates and sizes, and a bibliography are included. Foley, Brigitte Marie. "Joseph H. Sharp's Cincinnati and Oscar Berninghaus' St Louis: The City as Patron." thesis, U of Notre Dame, 1995, 11-29, 53-57. In the first chapter and the conclusion of this thesis the support is described that Sharp received from his hometown Cincinnati through various forms of patronage. The role of this patronage in promoting Sharp's art as a rejection of Anglo stereotypes of Native Americans is also analyzed. Additional attention is paid to the meaning that Sharp's work had for the inhabitants of Cincinnati. A bibliography is included. Illustrations are in color and black &white. Ufer in Retrospective. [Phoenix, AZ?]: Phoenix Art Museum and Western Art Associates,
1970. In the introduction to this exhibition
catalogue Ufer's personality and his style are discussed briefly. A
short biography and bibliography and a checklist of exhibited works are
also provided. Illustrations are in black and white. Egri, Kit and Ted Egri. "Walter Ufer: Passion and Talent." American Artist Jan. 1978: 64-67+. This article, an eyewitness account, provides biographical information and discusses in detail Ufer's personality, his ideas about painting and composition, the way he worked and the techniques he used. In addition, awards won and public and private collections with his works are mentioned. Sixteen Paintings.
Houston, Texas: Christie, Manson & Woods International, 1982. In the introduction to this auction catalogue Ufer's style and subject matter, and his approach of that subject matter, are discussed. The artist is cited extensively on matters such as working practices and concepts regarding art. Biographical information and a discussion of Realism, of which Ufer was a representative, are also included. Illustrations are in color. Adventures in Kit Carson Land. El Toro Film Company of Santa Fe, 1917. The theme of this 2500 ft film is an automobile trip through northern New Mexico, but considerable footage is devoted to the Taos artists. A young-looking Buck Dunton is shown petting his dogs as he stands beside the well at what is now the Blumenschein home. Victor Higgins is shown painting a picture of two Pueblo women. Bert Phillips is shown painting a portrait of an Indian man, whereupon Couse, Sharp and Blumenschein walk up and begin joking with him. Rolshoven is shown painting, Ufer is filmed trading with Indians and a group of artists dressed in costumes for a festival are shown dancing around. The film can be viewed on appointment at the State Records Center and Archives in Santa Fe. Description: Robert R. White, ed., The Taos Society of Artists. 2nd ed. (Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 1998) 112-113. Art in Taos: the Early Years. Dir. Dana Evans Balibrera. Danamar Film Productions, 1979. This 28 minute 16-mm. film uses early photographs, paintings and interviews with artists to show the history of Taos, N.M., as an artists' colony since the 1890's. The film is in color and has sound. Description: OCLC record #5894519.
Individual Taos Artists (The Masters) . Ed. Brigitte Gastel Lloyd. 29 Nov. 1999 http://www.worldroots.com/brigitte/art/art07_index.html. This web site under construction includes a list of the Taos Founders, the members who joined later, the honorary members, and an incomplete list of associate members. Some artists of the "second wave of artists" are also listed. In some cases, dates of birth and death have been included. Some of the names are links to pictures of artworks by the artist. Also included are, an introductory article and links to The Collector's Guide -About Taos (Facts), Taos Photo Album, La Plaza - Art, Taos Museum Directory, Links to all Taos Galleries and Artist Studios, which provides an additional link to Santa Fe and its art galleries, and Van Vechten-Lineberry Taos Art Museum, Taos. Ernest L. Blumenschein Home & Museum, 222 Ledoux St.,Taos. Tel: 505-758-0505. 1˝ blocks southwest of the Plaza, re-creates the lifestyle of one of the founders of the Taos Society of Artists (founded 1915). An adobe home with garden walls and a courtyard, parts of which date from the 1790's, it became the home and studio of Blumenschein (1874-1960) and his family in 1919. Period furnishings include European antiques and handmade Taos furniture in Spanish colonial style […} An extensive collection of works by early 20th century Taos artists is on display in several rooms of the home, including some by Blumenschein's daughter, Helen. Lesly S. King, Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque (New York: Macmillan, 1999) 205-206. SELECTED LIST OF MUSEUMS WITH WORKS BY TSA MEMBERS IN THE COLLECTION
Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art 500 W. Washington St. Indianapolis, IN 46204 Tel: 317-636-9378 Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art 1400 N. Gilcrease Museum Road, Tulsa, OK 74127-0210. Tel: 918-596-2700 Harwood Foundation Museum 238 Ledoux Street, Taos, NM 87571. Tel: 505-758-9826. http://taosvacationguide.com/MAT/har.html
Museum of Fine Arts 107 W. Palace Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Tel: 505-827-4468 http://www.collectorsguide.com/sf/m011.html Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum West Texas A&M University, 2401 4th Ave, Canyon, TX. Tel: 808-651-2244
Rockwell Museum http://www.stny.lrun.com/RockwellMuseum/ Roswell Museum Roswell, NM
Stark Museum of Art 712 Green Avenue, Orange, TX. Tel: 409-883-6661 http://www.starkmuseumofart.org/
Van Vechten-Lineberry Taos Art Museum 501 Paseo del Pueblo Norte,Taos, NM 87571. Tel: 505-758-2690. http://www.collectorsguide.com/ts/tsfa09.html "The only exhibition space housing works by all of the original Taos founders." (Web site)
Woolaroc Museum Rt3, Bartlesville, OK, 74003. Tel.: 918-336-0307 http://www.tulsaweb.com/museum.htm
SELECTED LIST OF ART GALLERIES THAT DEAL IN ART BY TSA MEMBERS
Altermann & Morris Galleries 225 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM. Tel: 505-983-1590 http://www.collectorsguide.com/sf/g004.html
Gerald Peters Gallery 1011 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Tel: 505-988-8961 http://www.collectorsguide.com/sf/g168.htm Kennedy Galleries, Inc. 730 5th Ave, New York, NY . Tel: 212-541-9600 Maxwell Galleries Ltd. 559 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94102. Tel: 415-421-5193 http://www.artnet.com/maxwell.html Mission Gallery 138 Kit Carson Rd., Taos, NM. Tel: 505-758-2861 http://www.collectorsguide.com/ts/g373.html
Owings - Dewey Fine Art 76 East San Francisco, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Tel: 505-982-6244 http://www.collectorsguide.com/sf/g160.html Nedra Matteucci Galleries 1075 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Tel: 505-982-4631 http://www.collectorsguide.com/sf/g060.html
[1] Robert R. White, ed., The Taos Society of Artists, 2nd ed. (Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 1998) 17. [2] For a complete list of all active, associate and honorary members see Robert R. White 14 -15. [3] David L Witt, The Taos Artists: A Historical Narrative and Biographical Dictionary (Colorado Springs, CO: Ewell Fine Art, 1984) 13. [4] Robert R. White 4.
Copyright: Catharine Jansen, 1999. All material on this page is written by Catharine Jansen and is protected as intellectual material by law and therefore should be credited when used in any manner or fashion. |
