Euro-American Fine Art Collection New Mexico Artists

Inspired by the natural splendor of the Southwest, these European-American artists who settled in Taos, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque, captured their visions of the landscape in beautiful realistic styles; such artists as:

Carl Von Hassler, who was best known for his traditional realistic landscapes of New Mexico and his Indian portraits, spent almost half of his 47 years here developing a new painting technique that caused a stir in art circles. This Special Exhibit illustrates some of the best examples of his work.

Will H. Shuster, A realist and early modernist painter, graphic artist, illustrator, and sculptor, who became known primarily for his work in New Mexico where, in 1920, he settled in Santa Fe, having been encouraged to come there by John Sloan. He had studied electrical engineering at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia and later was a student of Sloan's in Santa Fe in both etching and painting.

In World War I Shuster suffered a gas attack and upon his return to the states was advised by his doctor to go west for his health, where he once again resided in Santa Fe. While there Shuster became one of the founding members of Los Cinco Pintores, artists who responded to the New Mexico environment, including the Penitentes, in a respectful way and modernist, abstract style. Later he became more a realist in style.

Howard Schleeter, in 1929, moved to New Mexico and decided to make his living entirely as an artist; the following year he married and the couple made New Mexico their permanent home. The Great Depression left Schleeter occasionally digging ditches to make ends meet. In 1936, his financial status greatly improved when he received the first of several commissions from the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

In 1945, the Encyclopedia Britannica referred to Schleeter as an artist's artist. Howard is known as a modernist painter, but these paintings were not received well in New Mexico in the 1930s. He was ahead of his time. The early Taos and Santa Fe artists of the time were producing traditional landscapes and Indian themed paintings which was where the attention was focused, not on abstract art.

Jake Haverstick, an artist who was fortunate enough, in the 1930s, to make the acquaintance of famous Taos artist W. Herbert Buck Dunton, one of the founders of the Taos Society of Artists. Dunton mentored the young Haverstick until he felt he no longer needed instruction. Haverstick and his family then moved from Taos to Albuquerque where they stayed until both he and his wife passed away. Haverstick's wife, Fay, made wooden hand carved frames for his paintings.