Ted DeGrazia, Untitled (coyote), 1964, oil on canvas
DeGrazia: A Modernist Perspective
Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia is often considered one of the best known artists from the American Southwest, known for his prolific output of wistful images of Native American children and other indigenous subjects in pastel and brilliant tones bathed in brilliant, white light.
The son of Italian immigrants, DeGrazia was born June 14, 1909, in the Morenci mining camp of Territorial Arizona. His early childhood experiences in the ethnically diverse community evolved into a lifelong respect of native cultures in the Sonoran Desert and a passion to create art depicting their lives and lore.
DeGrazia’s legacy was built upon the exotic nature of his subject matter and his unique locale. In 1942, on a rare vacation to Mexico City, DeGrazia met noted muralist Diego Rivera, who was working on a mural project. This chance encounter led to an internship with Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, plus a solo exhibition of DeGrazia’s paintings at the prestigious Palacio de Bellas Artes. In 1944 DeGrazia built his first adobe studio in Tucson on Prince Road and Campbell Avenue, and in the early 1950s, he moved to the 10-acre site in the foothills in what became DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun.
As part of De Grazia’s centennial celebration, the Tucson Museum of Art will exhibit approximately twenty lesser-known works on paper, canvas, and ceramics that reveal different stylistic approaches than the quintessential images most associated with the artist. This rare glimpse will reveal influences from impressionist, fauvist, regionalist, and modernist perspectives.
