Harwood Museum of Art of the University of New Mexico
Sometimes smaller is better, like at this museum next to the former home of Taos painter Burt Harwood. The high-ceilinged building is chock-full of works by artists from Northern New Mexico and Latin America (Larry Bell, Ernest Blumenschein), but it's not so much that it's overwhelming. Many of the pieces were collected by Mabel Dodge Luhan, an important local art patron (and namesake of another museum in town). Paintings from the early 20th century fill the ground floor. Upstairs, the Hispanic Traditions Gallery holds 19th-century tinwork, sculpture, and wood carvings. Don't miss Patrociño Barela's "Death Cart," a 3-ft.-high rendering of skeletal Doña Sebastiána, the bringer of death in traditional Mexican and Spanish Colonial imagery. The museum schedules changing exhibitions throughout the year, and the docents are very enthusiastic and helpful. You can see the highlights in 45 minutes to an hour.
Sometimes smaller is better, like at this museum next to the former home of Taos painter Burt Harwood. The high-ceilinged building is chock-full of works by artists from Northern New Mexico and Latin America (Larry Bell, Ernest Blumenschein), but it's not so much that it's overwhelming. Many of the pieces were collected by Mabel Dodge Luhan, an important local art patron (and namesake of another museum in town). Paintings from the early 20th century fill the ground floor. Upstairs, the Hispanic Traditions Gallery holds 19th-century tinwork, sculpture, and wood carvings. Don't miss Patrociño Barela's "Death Cart," a 3-ft.-high rendering of skeletal Doña Sebastiána, the bringer of death in traditional Mexican and Spanish Colonial imagery. The museum schedules changing exhibitions throughout the year, and the docents are very enthusiastic and helpful. You can see the highlights in 45 minutes to an hour.
Details
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
