Robert Daughters The Figurative Masterworks

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

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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