About Modernist West

The era of the Modernist West is a rich treasure that has not been fully explored by many of its institutions.

The magic of the West was interpreted by Modernist artists working in the decades of the 1940’s and 1950’s. They arrived at this form of expression in many personal ways---by studying with an Abstract Expressionist master such as Hans Hofmann, as V. Vytlacil did; by teaching, in the case of Edward Marecak, who came from to teach in the Denver Public Schools; or Ethel Megafan who was fascinated by the geometric forms in the local landscape.    

All were knowledgeable about the international art scene, many having studied in Europe. But the pressure of the zeitgeist--- the spirit of the times--- propelled them to explore. Landscape of the west provides an inescapable theme, but a theme handled in a myriad of ways: personal association, topical studiesk.

This outstanding assembly has left a record of the most important art movement of its generation in the locale of the American West. The work listed on this website is part of a collection available for research by approved scholars and for loan to institutions. The contact information is below.  

+ Photography by Marcia Ward, The Image Maker, Denver, CO

+ Biographies by Stan Cuba, Associate Consulting Curator, Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art