R.C. Gorman

(Native American, 1931-2005)

“I’ve always felt successful. Even when I wasn’t making any money, I just knew it was all there. I always believed in myself.”
— R.C. Gorman

Often called the “Picasso of American Indian artists,” Rudolph Carl (R.C.) Gorman was most famous for his colorful, fluid paintings that reflect the beauty and strength of the Native American woman through a unique lens that combines abstraction and realism. His instantly recognizable style features warm colors, desert landscapes, and flawless sunsets, framing blanketed figures and often featuring various Navajo artifacts. Representing the importance of the feminine figure that the Navajo’s hold in a universal way was Gorman’s main purpose, and he often used models of various origins. In fact, he wrote that one of his favorite models was a young Japanese woman that he would depict as Navajo. While painting was his primary medium, he also created a plethora of sculpture, ceramic, and lithographic works. With an avid love for literature and food, Gorman wrote several books including autobiographical pieces as well as four different cookbooks with accompanying drawings. Gorman’s message was well received, as he was one of the first Native American artists to find international success, exhibiting across the Southwestern United States, New York City, and Mexico within the first decade of his artistic career.

R.C. Gorman was born on the Navajo reservation in Chinle, Arizona on July 26, 1931. His childhood home, a traditional earth-covered structure called a hogan, rested on the ancient land of the Anasazi, and like his ancestors, Gorman’s family grazed sheep on the open plains. In his autobiographical texts, the artist recalls collecting water from the outdoor faucet of the local Catholic Church to haul back to the family home, as they did not have running water. Gorman’s mother, Adele, was a devout Catholic, influencing his education and religious practices in his early childhood. His father, Carl Gorman, was famous for his role in the Navajo Code Talkers, an elite group of 29 U.S. Marines who developed an unbreakable code based on Navajo communications used by American forces against Japan during World War II. Carl was also an artist, having attended the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, and inspired the next generation of Indian artists, including his own son. Gorman’s grandmother was a significant figure during his childhood, teaching him about his artistic ancestry and supporting his desire to become an artist as a young boy.

Gorman exhibited an interest in art as early as at the age of three. The child was known to draw on the rocks, sand, and mud as well as create sculptures from natural clay while working in the fields with his aunts, depicting popular figures like Mickey Mouse and Shirley Temple. As a pupil at his first school, Chinle Public, he discovered paper, pencils, and books. These tools allowed him to see himself as a professional artist and further develop his innate skills. His first artwork created in school was a depiction of a naked woman, which got him into trouble with both his teacher and mother. Gorman’s father described his son’s artistry as coming without direction, saying, “His eyes were his teachers.” In 1943, Gorman enrolled in a Catholic boarding school located on the Navajo reservation until transferring to the Ganado Presbyterian Mission School in 1944, where he would begin selling his artwork to nurses and doctors in the seventh grade. Though he rejected Catholicism following his experience at the boarding school, Gorman would later consider himself a “good Catholic.” Gorman graduated from Granado Mission High School in 1950, and he briefly enrolled at Northern Arizona University before joining the Navy in 1951. After being assigned to duty in Guam, Gorman attended Guam Territorial College with the goal of becoming a writer, and he earned extra spending money by sketching the girlfriends of fellow officers and enlisted men. In 1955, Gorman left the Navy, enrolled at Northern Arizona University once more, and obtained a major in literature and minor in art. He worked at Disneyland for a short time in 1956, dressing as a Native American and paddling a canoe. Around this time, his art began to sell, and Gorman would travel and reside between San Francisco and Mexico. He explored Guadalajara and the historical murals of the Mexican people, studying the works of famous Mexican painters such as Diego Rivera. Gorman would find inspiration in the art of Mexico, stating that while he discovered Rivera, he also discovered himself. After applying for a grant from the Navajo Tribal Council, the artist was awarded a scholarship to study at Mexico City College in 1958. Three months later, he moved to San Francisco, finding work as an openly gay artist and model by day and post office associate during the evenings. Gorman held his first exhibition at the Zieniewics Gallery in San Francisco in 1963.

The artist discovered Taos, New Mexico in 1964 after spending some time in Texas, and the town immediately captured him. In Taos, he met Manchester Gallery owner, Dorothy Brett, who loved his work and agreed to arrange a show, which was very successful. He later returned to San Francisco to continue expanding his abilities with pottery and sand paintings, and his 1966 return to Mexico was highlighted by his first work in lithography alongside notable printmaker, Jose Sanchez. Gorman later purchased the Manchester Gallery in Taos with financial help from his parents, and he reopened it as the Navajo Gallery in 1968. It became his residence, studio, and art gallery for many years, where he sold his own works for as low as $100 each. The gallery was the first in the United States owned by a Native American. His Taos residence was infamously filled with art, including a bathroom covered in nude portraits. Meetings with many popular and famous names, such as Elizabeth Taylor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Caesar Romero, and baseball pitcher Jim Palmer, highlighted Gorman’s time in Taos, as his gallery served as a social hub for many parties and gatherings. By the 1970s, his reputation had extended into the international realm, and he began exploring other mediums besides oils and acrylics, such as ceramics and sculpture. Gorman’s legacy continues to be celebrated in Taos, such as during the “R.C. Gorman Days” celebration held by the Taos Arts Council during the summer of 2019.

R.C. Gorman was one of the first Native American artists to reach such widespread fame and acclaim. In 1973, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City exhibited Masterworks from the Museum of the American Indian, which featured Gorman as the only living artist to be included in the show. His works were used for both the front and back covers of the show’s catalog, and the New York Times would refer to Gorman as the “Picasso of American-Indian art” in their review. New York Times would also later write “no one stands higher among living American Indian painters.” The following year, Gorman’s works were added to the Museum of the American Indian on Broadway in New York City. His time in New York was often spent partying with big names and Studio 54 commoners like actress Elizabeth Taylor and pop art icon Andy Warhol, who later painted R.C.’s portrait. Gorman participated in art scenes across the U.S. as well as Mexico, finding major success and popularity as a Native American artist during the 20th century.

Several awards, honors, and accomplishments throughout his lifetime embellish Gorman’s legacy. In 1976, PBS filmed a documentary about the artist as part of a series titled “American Indian Artists” that would continue to rerun decades later around the country. Though Gorman wasn’t actively political, in 1978, he was invited to attend a dinner in Washington, D.C. alongside Vice President Walter Mondale in the artist’s honor, at which artist Andy Warhol also attended. Thus began the friendship between Gorman and Warhol, and they would arrange a joint exhibit in New York later that year. Gorman also dined with President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter during their skiing trip in Taos, as Mrs. Carter was a fan of the artist. In 1989, Gorman was awarded the New Mexico’s Governor’s Award of Excellence, and the National Association of Colleges and Universities awarded him with Alumnae of the Year in November of 1993. His fame was recognized by the dedication of a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in 2002. Aside from being a prolific artist, Gorman was recognized for being a genuine, kind person with a passion for life and art.

The artist experienced several health issues in his life, including an infected gallbladder in 1985, requiring major surgery and several months of recovery. In his later life, he underwent multiple knee surgeries as well as a knee replacement, though he was barely slowed. Gorman was hospitalized in 2005 after falling in his home, and he passed away on November 5 of that year at the age of 74. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson ordered flags at half-staff in Gorman’s honor following his death.

Gorman’s legacy lives on as arguably the most important Native American artist of the 20th century, as he dedicated his career to expressing a universal reverence of the feminine figure through a Navajo perspective. American Fine Art, Inc. is proud to feature the original works and limited editions of R.C. Gorman. Visit our 12,000 sq. ft. showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona or call today. Our website is offered only as a limited place to browse or refresh your memory and is not a reflection of our current inventory. To learn more about collecting, pricing, value, or any other art information, please contact one of our International Art Consultants. We look forward to giving you the one on one attention you deserve when building your fine art collection. We hope you find our website helpful and look forward to seeing you in Scottsdale soon.