Artist info
jOAN MIRO
American 1912-2000
(Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana)
Born:
San Antonio, Texas
American 1912-2000
(Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana)
Born:
San Antonio, Texas
Collections & Exhibits
artist bio
Rosalea Murphy was a colorful part of the New Mexico art scene. Though she was not a native, she seemed to absorb “the land of enchantment’s” brilliant colors, dramatic topography and bright air of fantasy. She developed an oeuvre that is uniquely representative of New Mexico. Murphy’s temperament and her personality were as vibrant as her paintings.
She was the proprietress of The Pink Adobe, a landmark in Santa Fe, for 54 years. She held court in the restaurant’s Dragon Room Bar; from there she held virtually unchallenged sway over the Santa Fe art scene. Murphy was renowned for her unyielding contempt for her fellow artist and contemporary Georgia O'Keeffe. Their rivalry would be one of the most narratives in Santa Fe’s arts community.Rosalea Murphy was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1912. She moved to New Orleans early in her life and, there, developed a zeal for Creole cuisine that would remain with her throughout her life. In the early 1940s, Murphy moved to Santa Fe; like many before her she had been beguiled by the city during her travels. She would remain there for the rest of her long life. In 1944, she purchased a 300 year old adobe building that sat across from the San Miguel Mission, the oldest church in the United States. This building would become The Pink Adobe, a local and national landmark. Murphy said, with not a little pride, in the preface of the Pink Adobe cookbook, “even Georgia O'Keeffe was an occasional visitor." She neglected to mention that she had periodically banished O’Keeffe from the restaurant. To Murphy, the flowers and skulls that exercised such an influence over O’Keeffe were utterly ordinary.
While Murphy’s fame primarily rested on her peerless green chile stew and apple pie, she also filled her establishment with her bright still lifes. Murphy’s works were clearly inspired by Post-Impressionist examples, particularly those of Cezanne. But she seemed to suffuse them with a mélange of Southwestern influences – Mexican and Native American – and to imbue them with the ethereal beauty of the New Mexico desert.
She was the proprietress of The Pink Adobe, a landmark in Santa Fe, for 54 years. She held court in the restaurant’s Dragon Room Bar; from there she held virtually unchallenged sway over the Santa Fe art scene. Murphy was renowned for her unyielding contempt for her fellow artist and contemporary Georgia O'Keeffe. Their rivalry would be one of the most narratives in Santa Fe’s arts community.Rosalea Murphy was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1912. She moved to New Orleans early in her life and, there, developed a zeal for Creole cuisine that would remain with her throughout her life. In the early 1940s, Murphy moved to Santa Fe; like many before her she had been beguiled by the city during her travels. She would remain there for the rest of her long life. In 1944, she purchased a 300 year old adobe building that sat across from the San Miguel Mission, the oldest church in the United States. This building would become The Pink Adobe, a local and national landmark. Murphy said, with not a little pride, in the preface of the Pink Adobe cookbook, “even Georgia O'Keeffe was an occasional visitor." She neglected to mention that she had periodically banished O’Keeffe from the restaurant. To Murphy, the flowers and skulls that exercised such an influence over O’Keeffe were utterly ordinary.
While Murphy’s fame primarily rested on her peerless green chile stew and apple pie, she also filled her establishment with her bright still lifes. Murphy’s works were clearly inspired by Post-Impressionist examples, particularly those of Cezanne. But she seemed to suffuse them with a mélange of Southwestern influences – Mexican and Native American – and to imbue them with the ethereal beauty of the New Mexico desert.
