Tony Abeyta facts for kids
Tony Abeyta was born on November 6, 1965. He is a modern artist from the Navajo (Diné) people. Tony Abeyta lives and works in both Berkeley, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
He is best known for his paintings that use different materials (mixed media). He also paints beautiful oil landscapes of the American Southwest. His art often shows the New Mexico landscape. It also features traditional Navajo symbols and designs. He is also inspired by a style of art called American Modernism.
Tony Abeyta's Early Life and School
Tony Abeyta was born in Gallup, New Mexico. He was the youngest of seven children. His father, Narciso "Ciso" Platero Abeyta, was also a Navajo painter. His mother, Sylvia Ann, was a Quaker artist who made pottery.
Tony went to the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. He earned a degree in Fine Arts there in 1986. He also received a special scholarship named after T.C. Cannon. Later, he was given an honorary doctorate degree from the same institute.
He continued his studies at other famous art schools. He got a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1999. Then, he earned a Master of Fine Arts from New York University in 2004. Besides living in New Mexico and California, he has also worked and studied in many other places. These include Baltimore, New York, Chicago, and even cities in Italy like Florence and Venice. He also spent time in the South of France.
Tony Abeyta's Art Career
Tony Abeyta has spent his career painting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Berkeley, California. He has had many art shows where only his work was displayed. These shows took place in Santa Fe and Sedona, Arizona. He has also been part of many group art shows. These were held in Santa Fe, Sedona, Los Angeles, California, and New York City.
His artwork is featured in many important museums across the United States. Some of these include the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. His art can also be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Other museums include the Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe. You can also find his work at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, both in Santa Fe.
His art is also displayed at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Oklahoma. The Heard Museum in Arizona and the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe also have his pieces. The Denver Art Museum in Colorado and the Crocker Art Museum in California are also home to his art. The Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indiana also feature his work. He even painted murals at the historic La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe.
Tony Abeyta has received several important awards for his art. In 2012, he won the New Mexico Governor's Excellence in the Arts Award. The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture also named him a "Native Treasures Living Treasure" in 2012. In 2018, he received the Gene Autry Memorial Award from the Autry Museum of the American West.
