STEVEN - Fritz Scholder: 85th Birthday Commemorative Exhibition by LewAllen Galleries

Fritz Scholder: 85th Birthday Commemorative Exhibition

Fritz Scholder (1937–2005) is acclaimed as a major figure in American art history and as a prominent Modernist painter. Scholder was pivotal for his provocative figural representation and groundbreaking reinvention of the portrayal of Native Americans in contemporary art. To celebrate his life’s work and mark the occasion of the artist’s posthumous 85th birthday, LewAllen Galleries is pleased to present a diverse body of his work in this Commemorative Exhibition. In addition to his iconic paintings of the human figure, this exhibition features Scholder’s distinctive sculptures, landscapes, still lifes, and works on paper. Many of these works have been recently brought to the light of day from the most renowned, private collections of the Fritz and Lisa Scholder Collection and Romona Scholder Collection.

Charting new territories in his striking and evocative paintings, Scholder is highly regarded for his expressive renderings of distorted and distressed figures. Using vibrant yet dissonant colors and strong, gestural brushwork, Scholder masterfully unleashes mythology-inspired, psychologically-charged themes upon his bold canvases. Most well-known for his often polemical portraits of the modern Indian, Scholder also conjures elements of the occult and dark religious iconography in his enigmatic work. Scholder’s complex and emotive paintings skillfully articulate the inner workings of a visionary, labyrinthine mind of a creative genius.

Born in Breckenridge, Minnesota, in 1937, Fritz Scholder spent his childhood exploring and drawing the vast plains of the Dakotas. Despite his parents knowing little about art, Scholder formed a strong connection to art-making and the creative process from an early age – winning his first art prize in the fourth grade. Growing up, Scholder identified with his European ancestry (French, German, and British), although he was one-quarter Luiseño, an enrolled member of the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians. “There were no Indian objects in the house. We never thought of ourselves as Indians,” recalled the artist. “My father was a product of the old Indian schools—he was ashamed of being an Indian.” Over the years, Scholder would eventually embrace the notion that he was “a nonIndian Indian.”

In the mid-1960s, Scholder’s distinguished art career began to gain momentum when he accepted a position teaching Advanced Painting at the recently-formed Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At the time, he was absorbed in Modernist traditions and working in an abstract expressionist mode. At IAIA, Scholder vowed to never paint Indian subjects and urged his students to follow suit, “You’ll never get anywhere painting your subject matter.” Scholder wanted to be seen as an artist, not just as an Indigenous one. However, he would go on to reinvent and de-romanticize how Native Americans were portrayed in contemporary art. In the 1982 PBS documentary Fritz Scholder: An American Portrait, the artist discussed the origins of the "Indian" series. "I succumbed to a subject that I vowed I would never paint: the American Indian," Scholder said. "The subject was loaded, but here I was in Santa Fe. It was hard not to be seduced by the Indian."

On his journey to develop his instantly-recognizable signature style, Scholder was clearly influenced by his artistic heroes – Frances Bacon, Edvard Munch, and Nathan Oliveira, among others. By the late 1960s, he had settled into the distorted figural representation that he is best known for – a mix of Pop Art and German Expressionism. Scholder’s contorted paintings challenged the idyllic image of Native American chiefs on horseback, and, instead, offered what was perceived by many to be a more accurate portrayal of the lives of contemporary Indigenous people. “Paint the Indian real, not red,” proclaimed Scholder. His assertion was controversial, but ultimately garnered him financial success and global recognition as an artist of import. Alongside painting with oil and acrylic paint, Scholder significantly expanded his art-making into various printmaking techniques: lithography, monotypes, etching, aquatint, as well as collage on paper. In 1970, when the prestigious Tamarind Institute workshop relocated from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, Scholder was among the first artists invited to collaborate on a suite of color lithographs with their apprentice-printers. For years, Scholder continued to foster his relationship with Tamarind and its printers, and the output was both productive and prolific.

Building upon his extraordinary approach to figuration as his career advanced, Scholder began to depict more expansive subject matter including series of landscapes, mysterious women, dark angels, dreams, flowers, and still lifes. These divergent artistic explorations allowed him to fully incorporate his broad-range of interests and inspirations. Since he was a young boy, Scholder was captivated by world mythology, magic, and the occult.

Within his discrete artworks, the viewer can begin to peer into the limitless interior world of Fritz Scholder. Delving into the mysteries of his own paradoxical psyche, Scholder adds color and richness to the shadowy reaches of the subconscious mind.

In addition, on or around his birthdays, Scholder would annually produce a self-portrait to mark the passing of each year. He kept up this tradition until the year before he died. Included in this exhibition are his dark and humorous lithographs like Screaming Artist (1971). Scholder mused, “I don’t like to psychoanalyze myself… Screaming Artist can be taken however anyone wants to take it. It is one of those prints that I did especially for myself. I thought no one else would like it.” Scholder’s self-portraits are deeply personal in nature. Each idiosyncratic reflection emphasizes another essential facet of this gifted, complicated artist as his style and persona progressed over time.

As a leading and profound figure in American art, Fritz Scholder is unrivaled for his thoroughly inventive approach to subject matter – only a truly fierce and relentless imagination could pull such stirring images from his inner core. A shaman in his own right, Scholder summoned powerful, conceptual depictions of humanity that are fraught with symbolism for the viewer to confront, experience, and meticulously decipher. On the anniversary of his 85th birthday, Scholder’s penetrating works continue to maintain relevance and reveal intrinsic truths that cannot be unseen.

Kachina, n.d. Oil & acrylic on canvas, 59.88 x 35.75 inches

New Mexico #32 (triptych), n.d. Acrylic on canvas, 102.38 x 48 inches

Land Explosion, 1966 Acrylic on canvas, 55.25 x 43 inches

Self Portrait at 35, 1973 Oil on canvas, 68 x 54 inches

Cowboy Indian (Second State), Ed. 14/20, 1974

Original lithograph on paper, 23 x 16 inches

Another Matinee Cowboy (Ed. 36/150), 1984 Original lithograph on paper, 14 x 11 inches

Cowboy Indian (First State), (Ed. 95/100), 1974 Original lithograph on paper, 22.75 x 15.5 inches

Screaming Artist (Ed. 42/50), 1971 Original lithograph on paper, 29 x 21 inches

Apache Night Dancer (Ed. 68/100), n.d. Original lithograph on paper, 22.25 x 15.18 inches

Waiting Indian (Ed. 51/75), 1970 Original lithograph on paper, 30 x 22 inches

American Warrior No 3 (Ed. 12/75), 1981

Original lithograph on paper, 30 x 22 inches

Indian at Crow Fair (Ed. 3/20), 1979 Original lithograph on paper, 33.75 x 44 inches

Indian with Button (Ed. 29/30), 1972 Original lithograph on paper, 18.5 x 27.5 inches

Indian with Red Button (Ed. 81/100), 1972 Original lithograph on paper, 18.75 x 27.5 inches

Indian Encampment After Blakelock (Second State) AP, 1977 Original lithograph on paper, 10.25 x 14 inches

Indian Forever Suite (Ed. 69/75), 1971 Original lithograph on paper, 30 x 22.5 inches

Indian with Woman (Ed. 50/50), 1971 Original lithograph on paper, 26 x 18 inches

Woman With Snakes (Ed. 25/50), 1971 Original lithograph on paper, 26 x 18 inches

Buffalo Dancer: New Mexico (State I), Ed. 55/75, 1975 Original lithograph on paper, 30 x 22 inches

Last Indian with American Flag (Ed. 67/150), 1975 Original lithograph on paper, 36.5 x 31 inches

Santa Fe Indian (Ed. 7/93), 1973 Original lithograph on canvas, 28 x 20 inches

Another Secret (Ed. 7/7), n.d. Bronze, 25.75 x 7 x 5 inches

ANPAO Series - Owl (Ed. 68/100), 1994 Original lithograph on paper, 22.25 x 15 inches

Another Dream Horse (Ed. 16/16), 1986 Bronze, 19 x 22 x 8 inches

Another Mystery Woman, 1987 Bronze, 25.75 x 7 x 5 inches

Diogenes, 1995

Bronze, 31 x 11 x 9.5 inches

Painted Man, 1992

Bronze, 28 x 9.75 x 11 inches

Untitled (AP), n.d. Original lithograph on paper, 30 x 22 inches

Lilith No. 3, 1992

Oil on canvas, 80 x 68 inches

Lilith in Purple Field, n.d. Oil & acrylic on canvas, 89 x 63.25 inches

Woman with Black Dress, 1991 Acrylic on canvas, 18 x 12 inches

Millennium #10, n.d. Oil on canvas, 80 x 67.75 inches

Carnival #4, 1988 Oil on canvas, 80 x 68 inches

Human in Nature No. 18, 1991 Oil on canvas, 50 x 35 inches

Indian Contemplating Columbus (Ed. 28/50), 1992 Original lithograph on paper, 60 x 40 inches

Indian Portrait in Roma, 1978 Etching & aquatint on paper, 47 x 38.6 inches

Burning Woman (Ed. 39/40), n.d. Original lithograph on paper, 22 x 17 inches

American Portrait #30, 1981 Oil on canvas, 80 x 68 inches

American Portrait #27, 1981 Oil on canvas, 80 x 68 inches

Fallen Angel #3, 1994

Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

Possession with Green Face, 1989 Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 inches

Dream #4 (Ed. 16/75), n.d. Original lithograph on paper, 22.38 x 30 inches

Purgatory, 1996

Oil & mixed media on canvas, 80 x 68 inches

Red #11, 1994

Acrylic on canvas, 68 x 80 inches

Heaven, 1996 Oil on canvas, 80 x 68 inches

Millenium Oil on canvas,

#12, 1997 80 x 68 inches

Hell, 1996

Oil on canvas, 81 x 68 inches

Egyptian Entity, n.d. Acrylic on canvas, 11.63 x 8 inches

Aspen #5, 1984

Oil on canvas, 80 x 68 inches

Basilica Saint Francis, Santa Fe, n.d. Acrylic on canvas, 15.5 x 15.5 inches

Garden of Eden, n.d. Oil & acrylic on canvas, 64 x 91.5 inches

Flowers in Green Vase, 2002

Acrylic on canvas, 35 x 30 inches

Black Gladiolus, 2002

Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 50 inches

Bouquet, 2001

Acrylic on canvas, 9 x 12 inches

Hibiscus, 2003

Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 9 inches

Ochre Orchid on Black, 2002 Acrylic on paper, 11 x 7 inches

Red Rose, n.d. Acrylic on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

Tiger Lily Orchid, 2002/2003 Acrylic on canvas, 68 x 68 inches

White Orchid, 2001 Acrylic on canvas, 10 x 8 inches

White Orchid on Black, 2002 Acrylic on paper 18 x 12 inches

Yellow Orchid, n.d. Oil & acrylic on canvas, 40 x 50 inches

Yellow Rose, 2002

Acrylic on paper, 12 x 9 inches

Petite Rose, 2003

Oil on canvas, 5 x 5 inches

Born: Breckenridge, Minnesota, 1937

EDUCATION

1960 BA, Sacramento State College, Sacramento, CA

1964 MFA, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

SELECTED SOLO PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS

2022 Fritz Scholder: 85th Birthday Commemorative Exhibition, LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM

2021 Fritz Scholder: Works on Paper, LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM

2019 Fritz Scholder: From the Indian to the Mythic, LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM

2015 Super Indian, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO

2013 Fritz Scholder: The Third Chapter, Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, NM

2008-09 Indian/Not Indian, Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC; Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, New York City, NY

2001 Last Portraits, Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, MN

1999 Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, AZ

Midwest Museum of American Art, Elkhart, IN

1997 Vampires & Fallen Angels, The South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, SD

1995-97 Icons and Apparitions, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Scottsdale, AZ

1995 The Private Work of Fritz Scholder, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ

1994 Dreaming with Open Eyes, Arizona State University Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ

1982 Monotype, El Paso Art Museum, El Paso, TX

1981 The Retrospective: 1960-1981, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ

1980 Monotypes, El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, TX

1979 Indian Kitsch, Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ

Paintings and Prints, 1966-1978, Boise Gallery of Art, Boise, ID. Touring, exhibition organized by the Boise Gallery of Art: Salt Lake Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT; Missoula Museum of the Arts, Missoula, MT; Cheney Cowles Memorial Museum, Spokane, WA

1977 Indian Images, Oakland Art Museum, Oakland, CA

A Selection of Paintings, Prints and Sculpture, Saginaw Art Museum, Saginaw, MI

Fritz Scholder Major Indian Paintings 1967-1977, Wheelwright Museum, Santa Fe,NM

1973 Fritz Scholder – Indians, Hayden Gallery, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Fritz Scholder Paintings and Lithographs, Yellowstone Art Center, Billings, MT

SELECTED MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

Alaska State Museum, Juneau, AK

Albrecht Art Museum, Saint Joseph, MO

Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD

Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France

Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington, DC

Centre Culturel Américain, Paris, France

Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, IL

Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art,

Bentonville, AR

Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, TX

Denver Art Museum, Denver CO

Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI

El Paso Museum of Fine Arts, El Paso, TX

Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA

Grand Palais, Paris, France

Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ

High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA

Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC

Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, CA

Musée des Beaux Arts, Montreal, Canada

Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe, NM

Museum of the Southwest, Midland, TX

National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC and New York City, NY

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS

New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA

Newark Museum, Newark, NJ

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA

Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA

Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

University Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, CA

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, CA

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN

Fritz Scholder (1937-2005)

86 Railyard Arts District | 1613 Paseo de Peralta | Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 | tel 505.988.3250 www.lewallengalleries.com | contact@lewallengalleries.com © 2022 LewAllen Galleries Artwork © Fritz Scholder