Gardens of the Taos Artists

A Guide to the Historic Homes and Everyday Landscapes of the Early Taos Art Colony

Published by UNM Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

An exclusive look at the historic home gardens and vernacular landscapes of the modernist artists who flocked to Taos, New Mexico, during the early-twentieth century.

Richly illustrated, architectural historian Audra Bellmore’s Gardens of the Taos Artists centers the homes, gardens, and intimate landscapes of the Taos artist colonies and explores how these artists interacted with the world around them. Joseph Henry Sharp, D. H. Lawrence, Mabel Dodge Luhan, Victor Higgins, Eanger Irving Couse, Georgia O’Keeffe, and many others adopted the regional style of their new homeland and integrated tastes from the East and Midwest to create a distinctive environment in the American Southwest. Gardens of the Taos Artists offers a fresh perspective on the Taos artists colonies that combines historical and architectural detail with intimate biographical narratives, making it an invaluable resource for readers interested in the artistic legacy of New Mexico’s art colonies.

Gardens of the Taos Artists contains descriptions of each garden and home landscape, including a history of the site, a discussion of its use and function, and an overview of its development and significance to the region’s cultural landscape. While many other books focus on these artists and the ways in which New Mexico’s landscape has influenced their art, this book is the first to focus exclusively on their personal everyday gardens and landscapes, establishing links between their works of art and the vernacular landscapes of Taos.

About The Author

Audra Bellmore is an associate professor in the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections, the endowed curator of the John Gaw Meem Archives of Southwestern Architecture, and an adjunct professor in the Museum Studies Program at the University of New Mexico. She received a doctorate in US history and public history from Loyola University Chicago, where she specialized in built environment studies and historic preservation. She is also the author of Old Santa Fe Today: A History and Tour of Historic Properties.

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Raves and Reviews

“A compelling and detailed exploration of New Mexico’s historic landscapes and artist communities, illuminating the unique cultural interplay that has defined Taos and its surroundings for over a century, and a significant read for anyone interested in the region’s art, architecture, and enduring legacy.”

– Nicole Dial Kay, curator of exhibitions and collections at the Harwood Museum of Art

“A fascinating history of Taos through the lens of the gardens of the early Taos Art Colony.”

– David F. Bower, former program coordinator at the Albuquerque Museum

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More books in this series: New Century Gardens and Landscapes of the American Southwest

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