William Lumpkins Explained

William T. Lumpkins
Birth Date:8 April 1909
Birth Place:Rabbit Ears Ranch, New Mexico
Death Place:Santa Fe, New Mexico
Nationality:American
Alma Mater:University of Southern California, University of New Mexico
Known For:Painting, architecture
Style:abstract, abstract expressionist
Movement:Transcendental Painting Group

William Lumpkins (1909-2000) was an American artist and architect best known for his abstract watercolors and pioneering solar adobe architecture. He was a founding member of the Transcendental Painting Group and cofounder of the Santa Fe Art Institute with Pony Ault.[1]

Early life and education

William Thomas Lumpkins was born on April 8, 1909, at Rabbit Ears Ranch in Territorial New Mexico, one of five children born to Julia and William Lumpkins. In 1929 he graduated from Roswell High School, where he had met and befriended artist Peter Hurd.[2] He studied art at the University of New Mexico and architecture at University of Southern California.

Architecture career

Bill Lumpkins was an early proponent of passive solar design, having built his first passive solar house in Capitan, NM in 1935. The former residence of solar scientist Dr. J. Douglas Balcomb in Santa Fe, designed by Lumpkins with his company Sun Mountain Design, is considered by many the "quintessential solar adobe house."[3] Lumpkins' adobe building designs were featured in the 1982 exhibition "Des Architecture de Terre" held at the Centre Georges Pompidou and were the subject of a book, Pueblo Architecture and Modern Adobes : The Residential Designs of William Lumpkins.[4]

Lumpkins' architectural work also included many restoration projects in New Mexico, including Santa Fe's Santuario de Guadalupe and hotel La Fonda.[5]

Other buildings Lumpkins designed include:

Painting career

Lumpkins started exhibiting his paintings in 1932,[6] most of which were watercolors.[7] He met artist Raymond Jonson in Santa Fe in 1935, and exhibited with Jonson and other members of the Transcendental Painting Group from 1938 to 1942. Lumpkins was one of the earlier Abstract Expressionists, having employed the style about a decade before other American artists popularized it .[8] His work has been exhibited at commercial art galleries, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1939 New York World's Fair, and New Mexico Museum of Art[9]

Public collections

Writings

Lumpkins wrote three books about Southwestern architecture :

Legacy

In 1985 Lumpkins was awarded the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts for both art and architecture. The Lumpkins Ballroom at the La Fonda hotel in Santa Fe was named after him.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Weideman. Paul. Art of Space — Soul-ar design: Artist and architect William Lumpkins. Pasatiempo. 18 April 2014 . Santa Fe New Mexican. 14 January 2016.
  2. Book: Wiggins. Walt. William Lumpkins : Pioneer Abstract Expressionist. 1990. Pintores Press. Ruidoso Downs, N.M.. 0934116105.
  3. Book: Wilson. Chris. Pueblo Style and Regional Architecture. 1990. Van Nostrand Reinhold. New York. 0442318960. 188.
  4. Book: Pueblo Architecture and Modern Adobes. OCLC. 38964009.
  5. Book: Rijmes. Joanne. Living Treasures : Celebration of the Human Spirit. 1997. Western Edge Press. Santa Fe, NM. 1889921009. 106.
  6. Web site: Guide to the William T. Lumpkins Papers, 1930-1982. Rocky Mountain Online Archive. Museum of New Mexico, The Palace of the Governors, Fray Angélico Chávez History Library. 14 January 2016.
  7. Book: Wilson. Malin. William Lumpkins : Works on Paper 1930-1986. 1987. The Jonson Gallery, University Art Museum. Albuquerque, N.M.. 0944282016.
  8. Web site: Artist Biography for William Lumpkins. AskArt. 14 January 2016.
  9. Book: Falk. Peter. Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975 vol. II. 1999. Sound View Press. Madison, CT. 0932087574. 2081.
  10. News: McGraw. Kate. Gesture of Balance : Annual William Lumpkins show at Peyton Wright promises choices. Albuquerque Journal North. 3 August 2007.