Description: Santa Fe has a dominant style of architecture. That doesn't mean all buildings look alike, some are outstanding and the New Mexico Museum of Art is one of those. The brochure calls the style Spanish Pueblo Revival architecture. There is a room on the second floor called Sala Grande, it's beamed ceilings and door/window construction define the style. We were allowed to use our camera, without flash.
There was one exhibit that was a little weak. It displayed photos of New Mexico. Not your standard post card views, that was for sure. They were primarily depressing. I found one I really liked that was an arrangement of seed collections. The brochure says they change the exhibits, so there is hope this one won't be around long.
The rest of the gallery was awesome. There is a lot of diversity in the contemporary art. We saw a Georgia O'Keefe leaf paintig. One of my favorites was a lovely impressionistic painting of an evening in the plaza that reminded me of Renior's party scenes. There were good abstracts, and impressive landscapes. Another gallery featured were Native American pots, Colonial Spanish icons, and contemporary bits and pieces of decor. In the Sala Grande there are several woodcut prints by Gustave Bauman. Like O'Keefe he was another artist who came for one season in New Mexico and found his artistic soul.
The museum was well stocked with affordable items and the staff were eager to chat. We were especially pleased that the security at the front desk offered to help us locate transportation to get us to our next adventure.
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