Colorado Modern

An exhibition devoted to John E. Thompson is now on view at the Denver Art Museum

By Michael Clawson

Through Summer 2028

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Now on view at the Denver Art Museum is an exhibition that explores one of the early adopters of modernism in the West. John E. Thompson and Colorado Modernism, features work by Thompson, one of the earliest artists to bring European modernism into the Rocky Mountain region, as well as works by other artists who shared his interests.

The exhibition, which opened in July, features 28 works, many from the Kirkland Museum’s collection, which merged with the Denver Art Museum in 2024.

John E. Thompson (1882-1945), Organization of Rocks and Trees, ca. 1919. Oil paint on canvas, 26¾ x 24¾ in. Collection of Deborah and Warren Wadsworth.

Raymond Jonson (1891-1982), Cloud Forms & Mesas No.1, 1926. Oil paint on canvas, 27¾ x 39¾ in. Lucile and Donald Graham Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2003.908.

“John Edward Thompson is an example of someone who thought outside the box and encouraged artists and others to do the same,” says Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the Denver Art Museum. “Modernism has often been thought of as occurring only in the U.S. coastal regions, but it is not an artistic practice or expression limited geographically. Modernism can be shaped and shared anywhere by anyone, and Thompson’s career reflects that.”

JR Henneman, director of the Petrie Institute of Western American Art within the Denver Art Museum, has curated many exhibitions related to the West, including Western modernism. “John Edward Thompson is one of the most important and least known Colorado artists,” she says. “He challenged artists and collectors in the region to open their eyes and minds to a range of styles and techniques. Importantly, he also supported a diverse range of students including women and immigrants. He, like the other artists and patrons featured in this exhibition, believed art is for everyone.”

Andrew Dasburg (1887-1979), Eagles Nest New Mexico. Oil paint on board, 1215⁄16 x 163⁄16 in. Denver Art Museum: The William Sr. and Dorothy Harmsen Collection, 2001.1145 © Estate of Andrew Dasburg.

John E. Thompson (1882-1945), Colorado Landscape, 1914. Oil paint on panel, 12 x 12 in. The Collection of the Kirkland at the Denver Art Museum, K2000.0006-1.

Other artists represented in the exhibition include B.J.O. Nordfeldt, Andrew Dasburg, Willard Nash, Walter Mruk, Raymond Jonson, Jozef G. Bakos, Elisabeth Spalding and others. Their works speak to the people, the landscape and the Western way of life that lured many of the artists from the East Coast into the West.

John E. Thompson and Colorado Modernism will remain on view in Denver through the summer of 2028. —