Walter Ufer
Encyclopedia
Walter Ufer was an American
artist based in Taos
, New Mexico
. His most notable work focuses on scenes of Native American
life, particularly of the Pueblo Indians.
Ufer was born of German immigrant parents and raised in Kentucky. After an apprenticeship as a lithographer, he went to Europe where he was a traveling journeyman. Like many of his fellow artists with ties to Indianapolis's German-American community, he went to Germany to study; he trained in Hamburg and Dresden. When he returned to America, he worked as a printer in Chicago and taught school, and later took classes in fine arts. After a brief time in Chicago, he returned to Munich in 1911 for further study as an artist. Upon his return to the US, he traveled to Taos in 1914. There he became one of the "Taos Ten", and associated with the Taos Society of Artists
. His New Mexico paintings are characterized by genre scenes of Native American life and landscapes executed in a high-keyed palette.
In the 1920s, his work garnered critical and commercial success. He showed at the Carnegie International, became an Academician of the National Academy of Design
, and museums acquiring his work included the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist based in Taos
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. His most notable work focuses on scenes of Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
life, particularly of the Pueblo Indians.
Ufer was born of German immigrant parents and raised in Kentucky. After an apprenticeship as a lithographer, he went to Europe where he was a traveling journeyman. Like many of his fellow artists with ties to Indianapolis's German-American community, he went to Germany to study; he trained in Hamburg and Dresden. When he returned to America, he worked as a printer in Chicago and taught school, and later took classes in fine arts. After a brief time in Chicago, he returned to Munich in 1911 for further study as an artist. Upon his return to the US, he traveled to Taos in 1914. There he became one of the "Taos Ten", and associated with the Taos Society of Artists
Taos Society of Artists
The Taos Society of Artists was an organization of visual arts founded in Taos, New Mexico in 1915; it disbanded in 1927. The Society was essentially a commercial cooperative, as opposed to a stylistic collective, and its foundation contributed to the development of the tiny Taos art colony into...
. His New Mexico paintings are characterized by genre scenes of Native American life and landscapes executed in a high-keyed palette.
In the 1920s, his work garnered critical and commercial success. He showed at the Carnegie International, became an Academician of the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
, and museums acquiring his work included the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.