Fiesta Crowds, San Juan, New Mexico

Artist Oscar Edmund Berninghaus (American, 1874 - 1952)

Datec. 1922

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensions34 1/2 × 40 inches (87.6 × 101.6 cm)
Frame: 40 × 45 × 3 inches (101.6 × 114.3 × 7.6 cm)

Credit LinePartial Bequest of H.J. Lutcher Stark, 1965 and Partial Gift of Nelda C. Stark, 1973

Object number31.24.63

ClassificationsPaintings

Label TextBerninghaus portrays a wide array of visitors—Indians, Hispanos, and Anglo tourists. All have come to the St. John’s Day fiesta on June 24th at San Juan Pueblo (now called by its Tewa name, Ohkay Owingeh). He shows tourists with their automobiles and cameras and a diverse group of Indian peoples. A mix of cultures appears in the attire of the woman at the center of the foreground. She wears Pueblo moccasins and a Spanish shawl. With her is a young girl in a short, belted dress and sunhat. Perhaps they are a mother and daughter. The mother maintains tradition. The daughter signals change, possibly coming from her stay at boarding school.

ProvenanceArtist; by inheritance to his wife Winifred Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico; purchased February 10, 1954 by H.J. Lutcher Stark [1887-1965]; ½ interest bequeathed September 2, 1965 to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation [1]; remaining ½ interest gifted June 15, 1973 to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation by Nelda C. Stark [1909-1999]; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art | 1. Owned jointly by H.J. Lutcher Stark and Nelda C. Stark until his death at which point his ½ interest was bequeathed to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation.

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