Tuesday, 9 May 2017

New Mexico Museum of Art.



Occupying an attractive adobe building near the Plaza the museum has plaques in the sidewalk commemorating New Mexican artists and writers.







Inside there is an impressive display of local art, although I think mostly by "anglo" artists as modern native american art has its own adjacent gallery. I am beginning to think that this blog should be called not pictures of cars, but pictures of pictures, although I'm sure there will be plenty more of both.
Despite having a population of less than 100,000 Santa Fe is the USA's 3rd largest art market after New York and Los Angeles. One third of the adult population self describe as "artists", and the state is clearly proud of that. In addition to the museums there are about 100 galleries selling art works.
 You go through a pleasant inner courtyard with frescoes of Indian life.









These were painted in 1934 as a Federal Emergency Relief Project. They were painted by a Philadelphian artist who had moved to New Mexico based on the work of an Anglo anthropologist; so the relief money wasn't going to the Indians. 
I particularly liked some lithographs by Delmus Howe, "Trailer Buddies", "The Three Graces"  and "Apollo". They must have been pretty in your face when he did them.




This next case of native american pottery must be worth several houses. It is the famous "Black on black" by Maria Martinez.









I saw this picture and thought "someone else painting Georgia O'Keefe's shapes differently and then saw it was called "Ghost Ranch" and the artist must have been staying with her.











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