Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West pays tribute to the Taos Society of Artists − one of the most influential schools of American painting in the nation’s history − with a major exhibition of masterpieces through April 30, 2017. “The Taos Society of Artists,” which opened on January 10, 2017, features paintings by the Society’s 12 members and seven associate members, and includes 80 of the finest and most valued Society artworks ever exhibited together. The paintings are on loan from institutions across the country, as well as private collections.

Rarely seen artworks in the exhibition that have been brought together include Ernest L. Blumenschein’s “The Chief Speaks” and “The Lone Fisherman;” Kenneth Adams’ “Taos Plaza;” Oscar E. Berninghaus’ “Apache Encampment” and “The Long Wait;” Victor Higgins’ “Indian Hunter (Hunter in the Snow);” Bert Phillips’ “Camp Fire Song;” Julius Rolshoven’s “The Town Council;” John Sloan’s “Picnic on the Ridge;” E.I. Couse’s “Hopi Flute Dance;” and Joseph Henry Sharp’s “Evening Chant.”

The exhibition is co-curated by Tricia Loscher, Ph.D., chief curator of Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, and Peter Hassrick, director emeritus of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Scottsdale Art Auction is the exhibition sponsor.

The Taos Society of Artists was founded in 1915 in Taos, New Mexico by six artists, who were inspired by the area’s enchanting land and indigenous peoples. Founding members were Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874–1952), Ernest L. Blumenschein (1874–1960), Eanger Irving Couse (1866–1936), William Herbert “Buck” Dunton (1878–1936), Bert Geer Phillips (1868–1956) and Joseph Henry Sharp (1859–1953).

This group grew to include 12 members and seven associate members. The other members included Kenneth Adams (1897–1966), Catharine Carter Critcher (1868–1964), Ernest Martin Hennings (1886-1956), Victor Higgins (1884–1949), Julius Rolshoven (1858–1930) and Walter Ufer (1876–1936).

Associate members were Gustave Baumann (1881–1971), Randall Davey (1887–1964), Albert Groll (1866–1952), Robert Henri (1865–1929), Bror Julius Olsson (B.J.O.) Nordfeldt (1878–1955), Birger Sandzén (1871–1954) and John Sloan (1871–1951).

The older members of the Taos Society aligned more closely to their academic training, while the younger members broke new ground experimenting with modernist techniques coming from European artists such as Picasso, Cézanne and Matisse. The Society’s resulting American masterpieces feature vivid images of dramatic landscapes and Native Americans in traditional clothing, which shaped popular culture’s perceptions of the American Southwest and influenced generations of artists, including Georgia O’Keefe, Andrew Dasburg, Marsden Hartley and Maynard Dixon.

The Society officially disbanded in 1927 due to faltering economic conditions leading up to the Great Depression of the 1930s, and some tensions among the Society’s members who, by then, were well-known and in demand for solo exhibitions.

Symposium

“The Taos Society of Artists” Symposium, a two-day lecture series sponsored by Marcia and Hugh Ruddock, will be held from 1 to 5 p.m., Thursday, April 6 and Friday, April 7, 2017. Speakers and topics include Barbara Brandenburg Brenner, granddaughter of Oscar E. Berninghaus and lifetime supporter of the Taos arts community (“My Grandpa Painted Pictures”); Virginia Couse Leavitt, granddaughter of E. Irving Couse and founder of The Couse Foundation (a discussion of Eanger Irving Couse and Joseph Henry Sharp); Michael Grauer, associate director of curatorial affairs/curator of art and Western heritage at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, and art history instructor at West Texas A&M University (“What Buck Brought to the Table: W. Herbert Dunton and the Taos Society of Artists”); Peter Hassrick, co-curator of “The Taos Society of Artists” exhibition, and director emeritus of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (“Taos Transformations: The Art of E. Martin Hennings”); Tricia Loscher, Ph.D., co-curator of “The Taos Society of Artists” exhibition and chief curator of Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West (“The 1924 Sands Family Trip to Taos”); and Susan Sessions Rugh, Ph.D., dean of undergraduate education and history professor at Brigham Young University (“The Taos Painters and Branding the Southwest for Tourists”).

“Taos Tuesdays” Programs

Three Myths of Cultural Heritage: Tourism Perspectives

Tuesday, January 31, 2017 | 11 a.m. − 12 p.m.

Arizona State University Professor Dallen J. Timothy, Ph.D. examines the complex and evolving relationship of tourism industry perceptions of cultural heritage.

The Patron/Artist Relationship and the Art of Collecting

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 | 11 a.m. − 12 p.m.

Leading American art dealers Brad Richardson (Legacy Gallery) and Jack A. Morris Jr. (Morris & Whiteside Galleries) examine the connection between collectors and artists, and the cultivation of a new generation of collectors.

John Sloan and the Promotion of Native American Art

Tuesday, March 14, 2017 | 11 a.m. − 12 p.m.

Diana Pardue, curator of collections for the Heard Museum, discusses Taos Associate Member John Sloan, and his advocacy of Native American art.

“Awakening in Taos” Documentary Screening

Tuesday, April 11, 2017 | 11 a.m. − 12 p.m.

This highly acclaimed film reveals the personal evolution of a woman 100 years ahead of her time. Mabel Dodge Luhan was a writer and advocate for the arts, women’s rights and Native American culture, whose Taos home became a haven of inspiration and creativity for esteemed writers and artists.

About the Museum

Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West features regularly changing exhibits, entertaining events, and informative programs that bring our Western heritage to life. The museum became a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2015, and has been named “Best Western Museum” in the nation for two consecutive years (True West magazine’s 2016 and 2017 “Best of the West” annual listings). It is owned by the City of Scottsdale and managed by Scottsdale Museum of the West, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. For more information about the museum, call 480-686-9539 or visit scottsdalemuseumwest.org.