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Marsden Hartley, El Santo, 1919, oil on canvas, 36 × 32 in. Collection of the New Mexico Museum…
El Santo
Marsden Hartley, El Santo, 1919, oil on canvas, 36 × 32 in. Collection of the New Mexico Museum…
Marsden Hartley, El Santo, 1919, oil on canvas, 36 × 32 in. Collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art. Gift of the artist, 1919 (523.23P). Photo by Blair Clark.

El Santo

Artist (American, 1877 - 1943)
Date1919
Mediumoil on canvas
DimensionsImage: 36 × 32 in. (91.4 × 81.3 cm)
Frame: 43 1/2 x 39 1/2 in. (110.5 x 100.3 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineGift of the artist, 1919
Object number523.23P
DescriptionStill life of Santo in center hanging on a wall; black pot with plant in foreground on right with striped blanket draped behind.
Text Entries

Elizabeth McCausland’s Marsden Hartley catalogue raisonné papers at the Archives of American Art includes a letter from the School of American Research, Museum of New Mexico, dated May 23, 1945 and referring to Dr. Edgar Hewitt, Director of the Museum and curator Berta van Stone. See attached image of that document which can be found online at: https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/elizabeth-mccausland-papers-7839/subseries-6-2/box-14-folder-14, frames 2-3.

This document states: Letter from Sch. of Amer. Research, Museum of New Mexico, May 23, 1945: "... I have talked with Dr. Edgar Hewitt, Director of the Museum and curator Berta Van Stone, Curator of art for a number of years, about the painting "El Santo." Both of them are sure that Marsden Hartley himself gave the picture to the School of American Research, and not "a friend," as Miss Jones evidently told you. According to Mrs. Van Stone, the painting was given to the School of American Research during 1918 or 1919..."

Prior to this information, which was received in 2023, the painting had variously been credited as Gift of a Friend", "Anonymous Gift from a Friend of Southwest Art" and "Anonymous Gift of a friend of Southwest Art." All credits list 1919 as the date of donation.

The original cardboard backing was removed from the painting and replaced with an archival backing board prior to going in the 2016 Conversations in Painting exhibition. The original backing included labels which were removed before the original cardboard was destroyed. The labels are now housed in the Accession file.
On View
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