CELEBRATING HISTORY,
TAOS ART ASSOCIATION AT 70
575.751.1262 . art@203fineart.com . 203FINEART.com Stables Gallery, “Stables Art Center”, photographed by Don Laine, c. 1970s
Celebrating History, Taos Art Association at 70 At the TCA Encore Gallery Opening Reception: September 17th, 2022 | 3-5pm During the Opening Reception, Guest Speakers begin at 3:45 and 4:15 Exhibition Dates: September 17th, 2022 - January 2nd, 2023 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte. Taos, NM 87571
During the opening reception on Saturday, September 17th, starting at 3:45 pm and again at 4:15 pm, the following guest speakers will begin their talks.
Juniper Leherissey, Executive Director of the Harwood Museum of Art, Taos & Davison Koenig, Executive Director of the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, Taos
Introduction
In collaboration with the Taos Center of the Arts (TCA), 203 Fine Art is pleased to present a visual recollection and brief history of the Taos Art Association (TAA), with this exhibition titled Celebrating History, Taos Art Association at 70. It has been seventy years since the formation of the originating organization, the TAA, which remains today as the Taos Center of the Arts.
Guest speakers will provide insight into the history of art in Taos, and the development of important non-profit organizations such as the TAA / TCA, as well as their organizations, which have and continue to infuence and shape Taos as a major art destination for collectors and artists past and present.
The artworks of twenty-eight artists will be on display at the TCA, in the Encore Gallery, creating a visual narrative of the extended period in which the TAA has fostered contemporary art in Taos, within the property where it all began.
This exhibition will include a selection of early modern work by several of the founding member artists who are no longer with us, along with artwork by a few older surviving members and artists who have been involved as members and guest artists from the generations which followed.
Group photo of member artists outside the Stables Gallery, 1974
Emil Bisttram (1895-1976), Black Cross, c. 1950s 13 x 18”, pastel on paper
RC Ellis, We Find Solace, 1957 21.5 x 14”, casein on paper
Earl Stroh, Abstract Landscape, c. 1950s
17.25 x 20.75”, colored pencil on paper
Thomas Benrimo (1887-1958), Untitled- Adobe Village, c. 1950s 15.5 x 19.75”, charcoal on paper
The TAA survived many shifts and changes and ultimately became the Taos Center of the Arts, which continues to nurture and support the arts, including visual, performing arts, and film in Taos. The Stables Gallery is still maintained today as a space for regional artists and community members to share, display and sell art.
By early 1953, the membership in the TAA had grown to 100, they purchased what is now the Hernandez-Manby House property and opened the Stables Gallery, an artist-run cooperative. The Stables Gallery was immediately vibrant and became a place where the group known as the Taos Moderns and others would thrive, creating the artwork which would sustain the national reputation of Taos as an evolving center for arts. The TAA would also offer workshops and drawing groups, later building a venue for live theater where the founding artists embraced performance, as well as visual arts.
This list was provided by John De Puy and Isabel Ferreira-De Puy, TAA member show circa 1955
The list of forty artist members pictured on the left also names Leone Kahl as the Director of the Stables Gallery. Kahl was the first director of the TAA’s Gallery in 1954, during a time when three influential women were running the most significant art galleries in Taos. The other two were Eulalia Emetaz of La Galeria Escondida who specialized in modern art and Jane Hiatt of the La Fonda Art Gallery who showed works by the earlier, more traditional artists.
During the long slow winters, Leone would pack up her vehicle with artwork and head east to Texas, where she would sell work to wealthy patrons in Fort Worth and Dallas.
The First Director of the TAA’s Stables Gallery
Leone Kahl, managing a wide range of artwork and artistic styles at the Stables Gallery, including Modern and traditional painters from both the Taos Society of Artists, earlier artists with more representational subjects along with the newer arrivals known as the Taos Moderns who painted non representation abstract works.
Ted Egri (1914-1987), “The Kiss”, c. 1950s 25.5 x 47”, oil on board
Cliff Harmon (1923-2018), Construction VIII, 1953 30 x 25”, oil on canvas
Alfred Rogoway (1899-1990), Fishermen, c. 1950s 10.5 x 13.5”, oil on mounted canvas
Left: Detail of Beatrice Mandelman (1912-1998), Space Series #8, c. 1960 20 x 16”, acrylic & collage on board
John De Puy (b 1927), Canyon Fires, 1984 12 x 14”, oil on canvas
Wolcott Ely (1932-2004), Bird Anger, c. 1950s 9.5 x 12.5”, acrylic on paper
Barbara Harmon (b 1927), Vases with Damask, c. 1950s 8.5 x 17.25”, watercolor & pastel on paper
Right: Detail of Louis Ribak (1902-1979) Aegean Series VIII, c. 1960s 48 x 60”, oil on masonite
TAA Stables Gallery exhibition essay by then Director, Thom Andriola, 1977
Artwork by fourteen of the artists from the above list have been included in this exhibition
Louise Ganthiers (1907-1982), Directions, c. 1960 28 x 32”, oil on board
Marcia Oliver (b 1946), Across the Great Water, 2008 16 x 17”, ink & graphite on paper
Robert Ray (1924-2003), Horizon, c. 1960s 19 x 24”, tissue paper collage
Lee Mullican (1919-1998), Abstraction, 1962 24 x 28”, oil on paper
Hyde Solomon (1911-1982), “Towards Evening”, 1975 21 x 17”, oil on canvas
Keith Crown (1918-2010), Ranchos de Taos in Sangre Cristo Mtns, c. 1986 22.25 x 20.75”, watercolor on paper
Lawrence Calcagno (1913-1993), Untitled Landscape, 1983 20 x 24”, acrylic on canvas
Louis Catusco (1927-1995) Daphane Called, 1973 24 x 24”, acrylic on board
Adeine de la Noe (1914-1987), Aspen Series #60, c, 1970s 30 x 48”, oil & collage on board
Wesley Rusnell (b 1934), Deep January, 1964 29.5 x 40”, oil on linen
Since that time, “Deep January” has not been publically exhibited, marking a special occasion for it to find its way back to the TCA for a long-awaited display.
Rosequist, who represented Rusnell, purchased “Deep January” directly from the Stables Gallery after the artist won Best Abstract Painting for this work at the annual TAA member-artist exhibition of 1963.
Wesley Rusnell’s painting “Deep January”, featured left, was acquired by 203 Fine Art directly from the Estate of Rena Rosequist, long-time gallerist, and owner of Mission Gallery.
Michio Takayama (1903-1994), Fantasia Romanesque, c. 1970s 36 x 40”, oil on canvas
Dick Spas, Snow and Rocks, 1978 10 x 8”, silver gelatin print
Other than member-artist exhibitions, the TAA also worked diligently to connect its organization with other regional and national artists. Later on in the evolution of the TAA ,with looser rules and a more inclusive mindset, it was possible for an artist with any interest in Taos, regardless of residency, to exhibit their artwork at the Stables Gallery.
Jonathan Sobol, Curator of 1989 Show
In September of 1989, TAA artist Jonathan Sobol curated an exhibition focusing specifically on nonrepresentational artists invited to show at the Stables Gallery. Works by a few of these invited artists, Larry Bell, Tom Dixon, and Marsha Skinner, pictured on the list to the left, have been included in this exhibition.
As a member artist himself, artwork by Jonathan Sobol has also been included in this exhibition. All these works can be found on the following pages. Sobol, along with the other artists listed above remain active artists in Taos and their artwork can be found at 203 Fine Art, Taos.
Jonathan Sobol (b 1952), White Rose, 2006 52 x 26”, oil on canvas
Tom Dixon (b 1946), hold, 2020 42 x 32”, oil on masonite
Larry Bell (b 1939), FR #2038, 1996 10 x 10”, mixed media on paper
Marsha Skinner (b 1944), Morning, 2020 8.5 x 8.5”, watercolor & graphite
Today the TCA, a non-profit organization, with a 275-seat theater and two galleries, curates culturally relevant films, art exhibitions, and live performances. With these venues, they provide local, regional, and internationally renowned artists, thinkers, and performers with a space to inspire creativity and foster a thriving love for the arts.
The information and images provided within this exhibition catalogue were compiled using artifacts from the TCA’s archives, biographies and artist lists from past published exhibitions, writings by author and ex-curator of the Harwood Museum David Witt, and our knowledge and expertise in this period of Taos history. The artworks included within this catalogue come from 203 Fine Art’s inventory, consigned artworks through private and corporate collections and art consigned directly from the artists.
The TCA continues to uphold the TAA’s legacy with thoughtful programming and a public venue for artists to show work and provide educational opportunities to the public, supporting the ever-expanding artistic community of Taos. The TCA continues to obtain support through membership and donation, so please consider becoming a member.
