Super Indian: Fritz Scholder, 1967–1980, is already generating buzz in the art world. The exhibition has already been written about in Vogue, The New York Times, The Huffington Post (which also named it one of the top exhibitions for this year), and Westword, and featured on Colorado Public Radio.
Below are some outtakes from media stories about the exhibition and why people can’t stop talking about it:
The New York Times: “The exhibition for this trailblazing artist fits the Denver Art Museum like a pair of well-worn moccasins. The museum has also done much to change the stature of Native American art. At a time when many Native American artists still hold grievances against mainstream art museums, the Denver museum is proving itself to be different, winning favor from many, but not all, Indian artists and curators…Its collection, now nearly 20,000 objects, ranks among the best in the United States.”
Vogue: “A lot of the work that’s being done today is very much rooted in some of the notions that Fritz Scholder was pushing back in the ’60s and ’70s, getting people to look at Native subject matters in very different ways, challenging the romantic stereotype of the past, looking at Native people in contemporary society…With this exhibition viewers can start adjusting their perceptions or misconceptions of who a Native is or what a Native does.’
Huffington Post: “Back in the late '60s and '70s, Scholder's pop art drew attention good and bad, and it continues to do so today. ‘It's still haunting; it's still devastating seeing these white teeth, a distorted face to suggest a skull,’ Comanche author Paul Chaat Smith explained to NPR in 2008. ‘You can't see the figure's eyes, they're behind sunglasses—incredibly arresting and powerful work even today, but back then it was extraordinary.’
CPR: "’Super Indian No. 2 is the signature image for the exhibition. That particular painting was, to [Scholder], I think incredibly important because it encapsulated so much of what he did with color and composition…Moreover, this [painting] can make you realize what your stereotypes actually are, even if you didn't expect to have stereotypes.’”
Westword: "But now, posthumously, [Scholder's] back on top, as is showcased in the wonderful Super Indian: Fritz Scholder 1967-1980, which is still on display at the DAM. "
