National Museum of the American Indian

Yousuf Karsh photographs of R.C. Gorman

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAI.AC.310
Creators:
Karsh , Yousuf, 1908-2002
Dates:
1981-1993
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.25 Linear feet
Repository:
This collection contains 3 photographs depicting Diné (Navajo) artist R.C. Gorman and one poster depicting his artwork.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection contains 3 photographs depicting artist R.C. Gorman [Diné (Navajo)] and 1 poster advertisting an exhibit of his work in 1993.

Arrangement

Arrangement
This collection is arranged in 1 oversize box.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Diné (Navajo) artist R.C. (Rudolph Carl) Gorman was born in Chinle, Arizona in 1931. His father Carl Gorman was also an artist and as well as a Navajo code talker in World War II.
After serving in the U.S. Navy and studying art and literature at Northern Arizona University, R.C. received a Navajo Tribal Council scholarship to study art at Mexico City College in 1958. It was there that Gorman was introduced to the works of Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, which would later influence own artwork. Later Gorman moved to Taos, New Mexico and opened the first Native-owned fine art gallery in 1968.
Best known for his imagery depicting Navajo women, Gorman's work is held in the collections of many national museums including the National Museum of the American Indian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz.
Gorman died in 2005 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Administration

Author
Emily Moazami
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. Tracy Fontaine Evans.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Emily Moazami, Assistant Head Archivist, 2018.
Separated Materials
This collection also includes R.C. Gorman 13 artworks held in NMAI's object collection, catalog numbers 270169-270181.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish the Yousuf Karsh photographs must be directed to his estate directly.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Yousuf Karsh photographs of R.C. Gorman, NMAI.AC.310, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Diné (Navajo) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gorman, R. C. (Rudolph Carl), 1932-2005 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Museum of the American Indian
4220 Silver Hill Rd
Suitland, Maryland 20746-2863
Business Number: Phone: 301.238.1400
Fax Number: Fax: 301.238.3038
nmaiarchives@si.edu