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R.C. Gorman collection

In Progress Lithographs

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sova.nmai.ac.402

GUID: https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv4da68cbf1-215e-44c5-88e2-3034f62ce690

Creator: Newlin, Richard
Former owner: Houston Fine Art Press (1975-)
Names: Gorman, Carl Nelson, 1907-1998; Gorman, R. C. (Rudolph Carl), 1932-2005; Saito, Yoko (Publisher)

Place: Houston (Tex.); Taos (N.M.)

Provenance: Gift of Richard Newlin in honor of Yoko Saito, 2019.

Creator: Newlin, Richard

Culture: Diné (Navajo)

See more items in: R.C. Gorman collection

Summary: This collection primarily includes photographic prints, slides, and transparencies of Diné (Navajo) artist R.C. Gorman and the work he completed with Houston Fine Press between 1976 and 2000.

R.C. Gorman Biography: R.C. (Rudolph Carl) Gorman was born in Chinle, Arizona in 1931 to Adele Katherine Brown and Carl Nelson Gorman, who was a Navajo Code Talker during World War II. Gorman grew up listening to Diné (Navajo) legends and stories of his family history. When he was little, he would draw pictures in the dirt and on rocks while tending sheep. After high school, Gorman served in the United States Navy before attending Northern Arizona University where he studied literature and art. He continued to study and create art at Mexico City College and San Francisco State University. In 1968, Gorman opened the Navajo Gallery showcasing 55 artists. It was the first indigenous-owned fine art gallery in the United States. Gorman's artistic style was heavily influenced by his time in Mexico where he was introduced to stone lithography and the artistic approaches used by Diego Rivera and other Mexican social realist artists. He moved away from more European depictions and began painting strong Navajo women, in honor of those who raised him. Gorman's use of bold colors earned him the title "Picasso of American Indian Art." In addition to lithographs, Gorman worked with ceramics, oil pastels, serigraphs, woodcuts, and etchings. R.C. Gorman passed away in 2005.
Houston Fine Art Press: In 1975, Tamarind-trained, master printer Richard Newlin and Yoko Saito established a printing business in Berkeley, California. The pair relocated to Texas in 1980 and founded Houston Fine Press. Newlin first printed an R.C. Gorman lithograph in 1976 and continued to work with Gorman for over a decade, in multiple countries. Saito often served as Gorman's model when he was in the Houston Fine Press studio.

Extent: 569 Photographic prints; 190 Contact sheets; 4747 Negatives (photographic); 419 Transparencies; 4716 Slides (photographs); 1.9 Linear feet; 4 Sound cassettes; 1 Videocassettes (VHS)

Date: 1931-2008; bulk 1980-2000

Archival Repository: National Museum of the American Indian

Identifier: NMAI.AC.402

Type: Collection descriptions; Archival materials; Photographic prints; Contact sheets; Negatives (photographic); Transparencies; Slides (photographs); Sound cassettes; Videocassettes (vhs); Lithographs

Citation: Identification of specific item; Date (if known); R.C. Gorman Collection, image #, NMAI.AC.402; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.

Arrangement: Series 1: R.C. Gorman In Progress Work Subseries 1.1: Lithographs, Subseries 1.2: Paintings/Pastels/Sketches, Subseries 1.3: Sculpture/Pottery, Subseries 1.4: Studio Printing, Subseries 1.5: Models/Reference Series 2: R. C. Gorman Completed Work Subseries 2.1: Lithographs, Subseries 2.2: Sculpture/Pottery, Subseries 2.3: Oil Pastels/Paintings, Subseries 2.4: R.C. Gorman Posed with Work, Subseries 2.5: Early Work, Subseries 2.6: Printing Documentation, Subseries 2.7: Original Work Series 3: Additonal Material Subseries 3.1: Personal Photographs, Subseries 3.2: Gallery Openings/Catalogs, Subseries 3.3: Articles, Subseries 3.4: Correspondence, Subseries 3.5: Book Materials, Subseries 3.6: Oversize Contact Sheets

Processing Information: Processed by NMAI Archives Center intern Mattie Lewis, 2023.

Rights: Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.

Genre/Form: Lithographs

Restrictions: Access to NMAI Archives 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).