Gustave Baumann

Gustave Baumann was born in Magdeburg, Germany and moved to Chicago with his family at the age of ten. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, and travelled to Munich, Germany to continue his studies of traditional printmaking and graphic design. Upon returning to the United States, he travelled to several art colonies before going to New Mexico 1918.

The landscape and colors of the West deeply impacted Baumann, and he made the decision to settle in Santa Fe. His move to New Mexico marked a period of great artistic productivity.  During the twenties, he produced scores of the colorful, painstakingly crafted prints for which he is known today.

To gather material for his work, he travelled throughout the region to Arizona, California, and the Grand Canyon. His book Frijoles Canyon Pictographs, which depicted Native pictographs of Northern New Mexico, drew wide acclaim.

Baumann lived in Santa Fe for fifty years, where he was an active member of the local community and mentor to many artists.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM