Gustave Baumann
Gustave Baumann (1881-1971)
A master of the color woodcut, Gustave Baumann was born in Magdeburg, Germany. His family moved to Chicago when he was 10 years old. After study at the Art Institute of Chicago and work as a commercial artist, he returned to Germany in 1905 for a year's study of the art of the German wood block print. He returned to work in Chicago, while also an active member of the artist colonies in Brown County, Indiana, and Provincetown, Massachusetts. Upon winning the Gold Medal for printmaking at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, Baumann was asked to organize the first exhibition of American woodcut prints at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1918 the New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts held an exhibition of the young printmaker's works. That summer, in 1918, Baumann visited his artist friends in Taos and planned a quick visit to Santa Fe. The end result was his almost immediate decision to move permanently to Santa Fe.
Gustave Baumann lived and worked in Santa Fe as an active member of the art colony. He was keenly interested in New Mexico's Native American traditions and incorporated many such scenes in his prints. His colored wood block prints are highly prized among collectors today.
