R. C. Gorman
Encyclopedia
Rudolph Carl Gorman was a Native American
artist
of the Navajo
Nation. Referred to as "the Picasso of American Indian art" by the New York Times, his paintings are primarily of Native American women and characterized by fluid forms and vibrant colors, though he also worked in sculpture, ceramics, and stone lithography. He was also an avid lover of cuisine, authoring four cookbooks, (with accompanying drawings) called Nudes and Food.
. His mother was Adele Katherine Brown, and his father Carl Gorman was a noted Navajo painter and teacher, who later became a code talker
during World War II
.
Gorman grew up in a traditional Navajo hogan
and began drawing at age 3. His grandmother helped raise him, recounting Navajo legends and enumerating his genealogy of artist ancestors. She kindled his desire to become an artist. While tending sheep in Canyon de Chelly
with his aunts, he used to draw on the rocks, sand, and mud, and made sculptures with the clay, with his earliest subjects including Mickey Mouse
and Shirley Temple
.
He credited a teacher, Jenny Lind at Ganado Presbyterian Mission School, for his inspiration to become a full-time artist. After he left high school, he served in the Navy
before entering college, where he majored in literature and minored in art at Northern Arizona University
.
to study outside of the United States, and enrolled in the art program at Mexico City College
. There he learned of and was influenced by the work Diego Rivera
. He later studied art at San Francisco State University
, where he also worked as a model.
Gorman moved from California to New Mexico
, opening his Navajo Gallery in Taos
in 1968. It was the first Native American-owned art gallery.
In 1973, he was the only living artist whose work was shown in the “Masterworks of the American Indian" show held at Metropolitan Museum in New York
. One of his pieces was selected for the cover of the exhibit's catalog.
and Chuck Henningsen published R.C. Gorman: A Portrait.
Harvard University
recognized him for "notable contributions to American art and Native American culture" in 1986, and Mayor Dianne Feinstein
of San Francisco declared March 19 to be "Gorman Day".
His famous friends and collectors of his work included Elizabeth Taylor
, Danny DeVito
, Arnold Schwarzenegger
, Barry Goldwater
, Gregory Peck
, Erma Bombeck
, Lee Marvin
, Jackie Onassis and fellow artist Andy Warhol
, who silk-screened a portrait of Gorman that hung in his bathroom.
's campaign for election to the U.S. House of Representatives, and in 2003, donated his personal library to Diné College
in Tsaile, Arizona
.
On September 18, 2005, Gorman fell at his home and was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in Taos. On September 26, he was transferred to University Hospital
(in Albuquerque). He died at age 74 on November 3. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson ordered flags flown at half-staff in his honor.
, David Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo
. He became inspired by their colors and forms to change from abstraction to abstract realism. He used abstract forms and shapes to create his own unique, personal realistic style, recognizable to all who are acquainted with his work. While in Mexico, he also learned stone lithography from a master printer, Jose Sanchez. He used lithography throughout his life as a means of making original multiple images of his inspirations, often working by drawing directly on the stones from which the lithographs were printed.
Gorman collected many Taos artists including several oil paintings by Bill Rane, whom Gorman said was his favorite Taos painter. Rane died on September 2, 2005 and Gorman fell ill 16 days later. They both had long-time galleries on Ledoux Street in Taos,. Following their deaths in the fall of 2005, people in Taos said that it had been a very sad fall on Taos' Historic Gallery Row.
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...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
of the Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
Nation. Referred to as "the Picasso of American Indian art" by the New York Times, his paintings are primarily of Native American women and characterized by fluid forms and vibrant colors, though he also worked in sculpture, ceramics, and stone lithography. He was also an avid lover of cuisine, authoring four cookbooks, (with accompanying drawings) called Nudes and Food.
Biography
Gorman was born in Chinle, ArizonaChinle, Arizona
Chinle is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,366 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chinle is located at ....
. His mother was Adele Katherine Brown, and his father Carl Gorman was a noted Navajo painter and teacher, who later became a code talker
Code talker
Code talkers was a term used to describe people who talk using a coded language. It is frequently used to describe 400 Native American Marines who served in the United States Marine Corps whose primary job was the transmission of secret tactical messages...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Gorman grew up in a traditional Navajo hogan
Hogan
A hogan is the primary traditional home of the Navajo people. Other traditional structures include the summer shelter, the underground home, and the sweat house...
and began drawing at age 3. His grandmother helped raise him, recounting Navajo legends and enumerating his genealogy of artist ancestors. She kindled his desire to become an artist. While tending sheep in Canyon de Chelly
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Canyon de Chelly National Monument was established on April 1, 1931 as a unit of the National Park Service. It is located in northeastern Arizona within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation...
with his aunts, he used to draw on the rocks, sand, and mud, and made sculptures with the clay, with his earliest subjects including Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
and Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
.
He credited a teacher, Jenny Lind at Ganado Presbyterian Mission School, for his inspiration to become a full-time artist. After he left high school, he served in the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
before entering college, where he majored in literature and minored in art at Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...
.
Notable achievements
In 1958, he received the first scholarship from the Navajo Tribal CouncilNavajo Tribal Council
The Navajo Nation Council is the legislative branch of the Navajo Nation government. As stipulated in the Navajo Nation Code, "The Legislative Branch shall consist of the Navajo Nation Council and any entity established under the Navajo Nation Council...
to study outside of the United States, and enrolled in the art program at Mexico City College
Mexico City College
Mexico City College was founded in 1940, as an English speaking junior college in Mexico City, Mexico.In 1946 the college switched to a 4 year Bachelor of Arts degree-awarding institution, then changed its name to University of the Americas in 1963 and in 1968 to Universidad de las Americas,...
. There he learned of and was influenced by the work Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
. He later studied art at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
, where he also worked as a model.
Gorman moved from California to 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...
, opening his Navajo Gallery 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...
in 1968. It was the first Native American-owned art gallery.
In 1973, he was the only living artist whose work was shown in the “Masterworks of the American Indian" show held at Metropolitan Museum in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. One of his pieces was selected for the cover of the exhibit's catalog.
Recognition and collectors
In 1983, Stephen ParkStephen Park
Stephen Park is a British artist and comic performer. He was briefly associated with the Young British Artists in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and included in the seminal Freeze show.-Life and work:...
and Chuck Henningsen published R.C. Gorman: A Portrait.
Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
recognized him for "notable contributions to American art and Native American culture" in 1986, and Mayor Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is the senior U.S. Senator from California. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served in the Senate since 1992. She also served as 38th Mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988....
of San Francisco declared March 19 to be "Gorman Day".
His famous friends and collectors of his work included Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
, Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
, Erma Bombeck
Erma Bombeck
Erma Louise Bombeck was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper column that described suburban home life from the mid-1960s until the late 1990s...
, Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
, Jackie Onassis and fellow artist Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, who silk-screened a portrait of Gorman that hung in his bathroom.
Late life
In 1998, he donated art for Tom UdallTom Udall
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Udall is the junior United States Senator from New Mexico and a member of the Democratic Party. He had represented as a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999. Udall was elected as the junior United States senator from New Mexico on November 4, 2008,...
's campaign for election to the U.S. House of Representatives, and in 2003, donated his personal library to Diné College
Diné College
Diné College is a two-year, tribally controlled community college, serving the 27,000 square-mile Navajo Indian Reservation, which spans the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah....
in Tsaile, Arizona
Tsaile, Arizona
Tsaile is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States, within the Navajo Nation. The population was 1,078 at the 2000 census....
.
On September 18, 2005, Gorman fell at his home and was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in Taos. On September 26, he was transferred to University Hospital
University hospital
A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university...
(in Albuquerque). He died at age 74 on November 3. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson ordered flags flown at half-staff in his honor.
Influences
Gorman learned about the work of the Mexican social realists: Diego RiveraDiego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
, David Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo
Rufino Tamayo
Rufino Tamayo was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico. Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, painting figurative abstraction with surrealist influences....
. He became inspired by their colors and forms to change from abstraction to abstract realism. He used abstract forms and shapes to create his own unique, personal realistic style, recognizable to all who are acquainted with his work. While in Mexico, he also learned stone lithography from a master printer, Jose Sanchez. He used lithography throughout his life as a means of making original multiple images of his inspirations, often working by drawing directly on the stones from which the lithographs were printed.
Gorman collected many Taos artists including several oil paintings by Bill Rane, whom Gorman said was his favorite Taos painter. Rane died on September 2, 2005 and Gorman fell ill 16 days later. They both had long-time galleries on Ledoux Street in Taos,. Following their deaths in the fall of 2005, people in Taos said that it had been a very sad fall on Taos' Historic Gallery Row.
Awards and honors
- Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, College of Ganado, Ganado, Arizona (1978)
- R.C. Gorman Day, State of New Mexico (January 8, 1979)
- Doctorate of Humane Letters, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico (1980)
- R.C. Gorman Day, San Francisco, California (March 18, 1986)
- Humanitarian Award in Fine Art, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (May 1986)
- New Mexico’s Governor’s Award of Excellence (1988)
- Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona (1995)
- Alumnae of the Year Award, National Association of Colleges and Universities (November 1993)
- Honorary United Nations 50-year Chairman for New Mexico (1995)
- Camino Real Award, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Santa Fe, New Mexico (1995)
- Los Amigos del Turismo Cultural Award, Santa Fe, New Mexico (1996)
- After Gorman's death, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson ordered flags flown at half-staff in his honor (2005)