Narciso Abeyta

Narciso Abeyta
Born Ha So Deh
1918
Died June 22, 1998
Nationality Navajo, American
Known for Painting, silversmithing

Narciso Platero Abeyta or Ha So Deh (1918-1998) was a Navajo painter and silversmith.

Early life and education

Abeyta was born in 1918. He is named after his father, Narciso. His mother was Pablita.[1] He started drawing when he was eleven.[2] He attended the Santa Fe Indian School, starting in 1939. Dorothy Dunn was his teacher. Abeyta was a Golden Gloves boxer. He served in World War II as a code talker.[3] After he returned from service, he was unable to work for ten years due to his experiences at war.[4] Eventually, he attended the University of New Mexico. He trained under Raymond Jonson.[2]

Mid-life and career

Abeyta was primarily a painter. His paintings document Navajo life, and use brush stroke techniques that are reminiscent of Navajo rugs.[2] He had two known commissions for work as a muralist; a 1934 mural for a social science classroom in Santa Fe, New Mexico and in 1939 for Maisel's Indian Trading Post in Albuquerque, New Mexico. [5]


Abeyta married marry a Quaker woman. She was a non-Native American ceramics artist.[4] They had seven children, including artists Tony Abeyta and Pablita Abeyta. The family lived in Gallup, New Mexico.[6]

Later life and legacy

He died in 1998 from a cerebral hemorrhage.[7] His work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, National Museum of the American Indian, and the Museum of New Mexico.[7]

Major exhibitions

References

  1. "Artwork by Narciso Abeyta". Artist. Savvy Collector. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Narciso Platero Abeyta (1918-1998) Ha So De - Fiercely Ascending". Adobe Gallery. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  3. Dyer, Linda. "20th-Century Narciso Abeyta (Ha So De) Painting". Roadshow Archive. WGBH Boston. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Joëlle Rostkowski (2012). Conversations with Remarkable Native Americans. SUNY Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4384-4176-4.
  5. Lester, Patrick D., The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters, SIR Publications, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 9780806199369, page 2, First edition, 1995
  6. June, Ana. "Tony Abeyta". Local Flavor. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Narciso Platero Abeyta, painter of Navajo themes". Bangor Daily News. 26 June 1998. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  8. Abeyta, Narciso; Tony Abeyta (1994). Translating Navajo worlds: the art of Narciso (Ha-So-De) and Tony Abeyta, January 22-May 4, 1994. Santa fe: Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.