Maria and Julian Martinez (San Ildefonso, 1886-1980 and 1885-1943), Bowl, about 1921, clay and paint, 8.75 x 14. Denver Art Museum, gift of Frederic H. Douglas, 1954.454.
Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
January 26
On October 1, the Denver Art Museum opened the enlightening exhibition The Russells in Denver, 1921 that centers on a 1921 solo show for famed cowboy artist Charles M. Russell at the Brown Palace Hotel, organized by his wife Nancy Russell. Eighteen works by Russell are on view and spotlight his artistic mastery, but the exhibition also is a celebration of Nancy for her critical role as publicist, business partner and manager for the artist. The show, hanging through June 30, has also shaped the theme for the museum’s 2024 Petrie Institute of Western American Art Symposium, Creative Partnerships.
“It is difficult to imagine that Charlie Russell would have become internationally renowned if not for Nancy’s support and business acumen,” says JR (Jennifer R.) Henneman, director of the PIWAA. “This dynamic inspired our [symposium] theme, which focuses on other integral creative partnerships in Western American art.”
Taking place on January 26 in-person and virtually, the symposium has four lectures; breakfast and lunch; and a post Q&A reception. Returning as moderator is Patty Limerick. During the lunch break attendees at Denver Art Museum are able to visit the galleries including The Russells exhibition on the seventh floor of the Martin Building.
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- Mary Nimmo Moran (1842-1899), Yosemite, 1872, watercolor on paper. Collection of the National Park Services.
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- Thomas Moran (1837-1926), Mount of the Holy Cross, 1894, watercolor on paper, 18.5 x 13.5. Denver Art Museum, anonymous gift, 1981.16.
One of the presentations will highlight the 19th-century team of husband-and-wife artists Thomas and Mary Nimmo Moran. The San Ildefonso potters, including Maria and Julian Martinez, will also be discussed. Along with spotlighting the pair, the lecture dives into the “communal ecosystem” that exists for Pueblo creatives. A third conversation is on photographer Laura Gilpin and her partner Elizabeth Forster, while the final lecture of the day focuses on modernists and married couple, Louis Ribak and Beatrice Mandelman.
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- Louis Ribak (1902-1979), Santa Domingo Corn Dance, about 1948, oil on canvas, 36 x 40. Denver Art Museum, gift of the Mandelman-Ribak Foundation, 2009.731.
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- Beatrice Mandelman (1912-1998), Black Cross, 1966, oil on canvas, 35.25 x 23.75. Denver Art Museum, gift of the Mandelman-Ribak Foundation, 2009.730.
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- Laura Gilpin (1891-1979), Indian Bake Ovens, 1929, platinum print. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Henneman says, similarly to the Russells, “the other partnerships we look at in depth required the support, dedication and inspiration of others. Without these relationships, our Western American art canon would look every different.” —Rochelle Belsito
contact information
(720) 865-5000
denverartmuseum.org
This story appeared in the December 2023/January 2024 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.