The core of the New Mexico Museum of Art collection collection is from the Southwest, particularly New Mexico, made by artists who have worked, lived, or been influenced by travel through the region since the introduction of the railway, around 1880. As New Mexico's state art museum, we encourage the public to come to enjoy and learn about art, and we feature art from the whole of New Mexico.
Altogether, the museum has collected more than 20,000 works of art. The curators select works from the collection to create ever-changing exhibitions, creating new interpretations and contexts. The collection resists strict classification, but it reflects the state's rich history of native peoples, adventurers, settlers, and seekers, as well as the creative inspiration of artists.
Political Outlooks
The art of New Mexico reflects political fights that have occurred between aesthetic perspectives, and political issues that artists address through their work.
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Landscape
Artists have long sought to capture the captivating light, forms, and spirit of the state's extraordinary landcape.
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Defining New Mexico
Outsiders looking at native cultures, native
cultures proudly asserting their own points-of-view, the expression of common ground in reaction to historical events - the definitions of New Mexico are reflected in the NMMoA collection.
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Famous New Mexico Artists
Georgia O'Keeffe, Elliot Porter, Gustave Baumann, Fritz Scholder, Maria Martinez, Bruce Naumann and Luis Jiménez are just a few...
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Art You Didn't Expect
A surprise at every turn: international artists you may not expect to find in our collection.
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Aesthetic Fusions
The history of New Mexico art from the arrival of railroads into the territory to the present defines aesthetic fusions that have occurred across cultural divisions. This process is not without contradictions.
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Collections Policies
The Museum of Art welcomes researchers to study our holdings in our permanent art collections, the library, or the archives.
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