Meyer Gallery presents
The Many Faces of...
Robert Daughters
The Many Faces of...
R obert Daughter s
Mar ch 1 - 31, 2 024
Meyer Gallery 225 Canyon Road Santa Fe, NM 87501 505.983.1434 www.meyergalleries.com
“As a Taos resident artist, envisio my easel was inevitable in this en time, the Taos Natives urged my paint too.”
oning numerous landscapes on nchanting place. At the same brush to portray their essence in
- Robert Daughters
In 1993, shortly after joining Meyer Gallery, I had the pleasure of meeting
Robert Daughters when he brought in a new body of work for his Summer exhibition hosted by the gallery. At the time, Robert was already a wellestablished artist in his early 60s, renowned for his exquisite landscapes depicting the captivating allure of Northern New Mexico. Unloading his Chevy Suburban filled to the brim with fresh, wet canvases, it became evident that Robert was a tireless painter, dedicating a significant portion of his day to the studio. However, what caught my eye was a modest 14”x11” portrayal of a Taos Native girl, a figurative piece, surprising me as I didn’t know he painted people. Robert shared that, upon settling in Taos in 1972, he frequently captured the faces of the Taos Pueblo Natives who would visit his studio, becoming willing subjects for his colorful, expressive brushstrokes. From then on, whenever Robert would bring in new paintings, whether for an exhibit or not, I would anticipate the possibility of finding a figurative piece within the collection. Every now and then, the artist would pleasantly surprise me with one. This anticipation evolved into a delightful occurrence. With each subsequent exhibition, a few figurative paintings would often accompany his landscapes, skillfully capturing the essence of human expression in his distinctive painting style. Over the years, our friendship blossomed. On occasion, he would invite me to his studio to see what was on his easel. There were also numerous day trips we would take together, hitting all of his favorite spots between Santa Fe and Taos. It was during these special moments when he would share stories of his early days as a full-time fine artist living in Northern New Mexico. It was evident that the people of New Mexico and the land they populated were near and dear to him, and, therefore, important for him to capture on canvas.
In the years following his passing in 2013, a delightful revelation unfolded. Earlier collectors approached us with offers to sell their collections, revealing a treasure trove of Robert’s figurative works mainly from the 1970s and 1980s, and primarily featuring Taos Native people. The gallery, as the exclusive representative of Robert Daughters for the last 25 years of his life, embraced the opportunity to introduce these early gems to new admirers. Now, with great pride, Meyer Gallery presents a special collection of Robert Daughters’s figurative paintings, ranging from the earliest in the collection, a 1960s canvas “Taos Indian” (16”x12” acrylic), to the poignant “Tribal Robe” (36”x24” oil), created in 2002, specifically for an exhibit held at Meyer Gallery. These works, and others in the collection, showcase Robert’s remarkable ability to capture the nuances and diversity of the human face. As you flip through these pages, we invite you to immerse yourself in a specially curated group of figurative work by this extraordinary artist offering a glimpse of some of these important works that captivated me in my earliest days working at the gallery. Meyer Gallery is delighted to present this particular group of paintings, highlighting Robert Daughters’s figurative mastery. John Manzari, Director, Meyer Gallery
Berninghaus Flowers oil 12 x 20 price upon request
The painting “Berninghaus Flowers” depicts Robert Daughters’ home and studio in Taos, NM, for over 26 years. It was previously the residence of Taos Society of Artists, Oscar Berninghaus and is considered a historical landmark. Many of Robert Daughters’ paintings featured throughout this catalog were painted in this studio.
Renowned a revered Taos he rose to p the high des turn back. W and prolific
Still, his rom of the marke manner. His drawings of A pivotal po opted for m Post-Impress include a te were outline vision of the this signatur
as one of the American Southwest’s master painters, and one of the original s Six, Robert Daughters actually began his career in Kansas City, MO. While prominence in advertising and as a commercial artist there, he was so taken by sert of Northern New Mexico in the 1960s that he walked toward it and didn’t With his move to Santa Fe and later Taos, Daughters embarked upon his long life as an award-winning expressionistic painter.
mantic reinvention of self was not without its challenges. Eschewing the whims et, Daughters studied traditional artists and painted in a somewhat academic s earlier works were in a stark and realistic vein, consisting of many charcoal Southwest Indians and oils of New Mexico landscapes and Pueblo scenes. oint came in the late 1970s, when he embraced an impressionistic style and more familiar subject matter. Daughters’ developed an aesthetic influenced by sionist artists, in particular Van Gogh and Bernard. His painting evolved to echnique he referred to as “cloisonnism,” in which blocks of jewel-like colors ed in black. This lent the work a new simplicity and luminosity equal to his e Southwest — causing his subjects to almost vibrate with movement. It was re style that would propel Robert Daughters’ career into the stratosphere.
The Many Faces of...
R obert Daughter s Avai l able Work s
Taos Indian
ac rylic
16 x 12
Robed Pueblo Man
g ouache
15.5 x 11.5
Navajo Man
charcoal
18 x 12
Taos Indian
charcoal
20 x 16
The Mudders
oil
36 x 24
Prairie Wolf
oil
20 x 14
Taos Pueblo Elder
oil
20 x 16
B e n “Couse” L uj an
oil
16 x 12
M ountai n Squi r r el
oil
20 x 16
Tribal Robe
oil
36 x 24
Taos Portrait
oil
24 x 18
Seri Basket Weaver
oil
30 x 24
Ben “Couse” Lujan
bronze
17 x 8 x 8
The Many Faces of...
R obert Daughter s Taos Indian
acrylic
16 x 12
$8,100
Robed Pueblo Man
gouache
15.5 x 11.5
$8,500
Navajo Man
charcoal
18 x 12
$6,900
Taos Indian
charcoal
20 x 16
$9,000
The Mudders
oil
36 x 24
$42,000
Prairie Wolf
oil
20 x 14
$20,000
Taos Pueblo Elder
oil
20 x 16
$24,000
Ben “Couse” Lujan
oil
16 x 12
$12,000
Mountain Squirrel
oil
20 x 16
$24,000
Tribal Robe
oil
36 x 24
$42,000
Taos Portrait
oil
24 x 18
$28,000
Seri Basket Weaver
oil
30 x 24
$40,000
bronze
17 x 8 x 8
$14,000
Ben “Couse” Lujan (Bust)
The Many Faces of...
R obert Daughter s
faces from the past... Sol d Work s
Sunhawk Study
Taos Elder
oil
oil
14 x 11
14 x 11
Turquoise Earring
oil
14 x 11
Navajo Maiden
oil
10 x 8
Ramis, Chanter
oil
12 x 16
Taos Indian wth Pot
charcoal
18 x 14
His Dog
oil
21 x 17
Ben “Couse” - Taos
charcoal
20 x 16
Dancer
cha
arcoal
16 x 12
Old Ben
charcoal
16 x 12
Taos Indian charcoal
14 x 12
Chief Gall
cha
arcoal
16 x 12
Native Portrait
charcoal
14 x 11
Peyote Man
oil
36 x 24
Peyote Man
charcoal
26 x 20
Red Headband
oil
12 x 16
Taos Pueblo Sentinel
oil
48 x 30
Prairie Wolf, Taos Guardian oil 10 x 8
Prairie Wolf oil 16 x 12
Sac-Fox War Dancer
gouache
12 x 9
Indian Drummer
gouache
19 x 11
Eagle Dancer
gouache
23 x 16
Indian Maiden
Indian with Scarf
oil
oil
14 x 10
16 x 12
Seri Women
oil
36 x 24
Navajo Woman
oil
14 x 11
Ben Lujan
oil
16 x 12
Mother and Child
oil
40 x 30
Blue Headband (Navajo council)
oil
10 x 8
Indian Boy
oil
16 x 12
Pueblo Dance
oil
18 x 24
225 Canyon Road Santa Fe, NM 87501 505.983.1434 www.meyergalleries.com