Kenneth Adams

Painter Kenneth Adams (1897-1963) arrived on the Taos art scene in 1924, at the urging of his former instructor Andrew Dasburg. Although Adams had been born and raised less than 700 miles away in Topeka, Kansas, his journey to the Southwest had been years - and countries - in the making.

Earlier in his 20s, Adams had embarked on the Midwesterner’s equivalent of a Grand Tour: Chicago, then New York City, and finally, Italy and France. From these sojourns, the artist had absorbed all the lessons in light, color, and form that renowned teachers and rolling countrysides could offer.

Now, thanks to Dasburg’s invitation, Adams found he could stop traveling; he had finished honing his craft and found his muse. New Mexico - its people and its land - would be an infinite source of inspiration.

Adam’s painterly devotion soon impressed the prestigious Taos Society of Artists, which invited him to join as its youngest member. And, although the Society eventually disbanded, Adams spent the rest of his life living out its Regionalist ambition: to record New Mexico’s essence through art.