Taos Art Museum facts for kids
The Taos Art Museum is a special place in Taos, New Mexico, where you can see amazing art. It's located inside the beautiful Nicolai Fechin House. This house used to be the home of a famous Russian artist named Nicolai Fechin, along with his wife Alexandra and their daughter Eya. The museum wants to teach people about the wonderful artists from Taos and help new artists grow. They also work hard to bring art created in Taos back to its home, as many pieces by the Taos Society of Artists are in museums far away.
Contents
Discovering the Art Collection
The museum's main collection includes Nicolai Fechin's House and his art studio. These buildings are like artworks themselves! Fechin designed them by mixing ideas from Russian, Native American, Spanish, and Art Deco styles. It shows how creative he was, not just with painting but also with building.
Artists You'll See
The museum has many artworks by Nicolai Fechin and artists from the Taos Society of Artists. Almost all the artists from this group are shown here. Some of them include Joseph Henry Sharp, Bert Geer Phillips, Oscar E. Berninghaus, Ernest L. Blumenschein, Walter Ufer, and E. Irving Couse.
Other important artists whose works are part of the collection are Leon Gaspard, Joseph Imhoff, Gene Kloss, and Dorothy Brett.
After the 1940s, a new group called the Taos Moderns kept the art scene lively. These artists, like Andrew Dasburg, Louis Leon Ribak, and Beatrice Mandelman, were inspired by big changes in the world and new art styles.
After World War II, Taos became a meeting point for different art ideas. Artists were drawn to the bright light, amazing landscapes, and diverse cultures of the area. This inspired many artists, including Rod Goebel, Walt Gonske, and R.C. Gorman.
A Look at the Museum's History
The Taos Art Museum first opened its doors in 1994. It started with the art collection of Edwin and Novella Lineberry, honoring Edwin's first wife, artist Duane Van Vechten. In 2003, the museum officially moved to its current home, the Fechin House, and changed its name to the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House. The house itself was built between 1927 and 1933.
Exploring the Fechin House
The house of Russian-American artist Nicolai Fechin is very special. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1979. It's also recognized as a New Mexico Registered Cultural Property. Nicolai Fechin's daughter, Eya Fechin, opened the house to the public as a museum in 1979. She lived there until she passed away in November 2002.
After Eya's passing, the museum's board took over the Fechin property. They added security and lighting, treated the windows to protect the art from sunlight, and made sure the walls and floors inside were in great condition.
See also
