Ralph T. Coe
Ralph Tracy "Ted" Coe (August 27, 1929 – September 14, 2010) was a notable art collector and scholar, best known for developing modern appreciation of Native American art.[1] "He was kind of the beginning player, enormously significant in the growth of appreciation of Native American art in the 20th century", noted a curator from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1] His collection of over 2,000 objects of Indigenous art form the basis of the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts collection holdings.
Biography
Coe grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where his parents and sister were also involved in the art world,[2] with his father an art collector specializing in Impressionist art as a trustee of the Cleveland Museum of Art.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree at Oberlin College, and a master's at Yale University, both in art history.[2] At Yale he worked for John Pope Hennessy as a research assistant.[2] He worked at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and then at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. He was hired by what was then the Nelson Gallery of Art as curator of painting and sculpture in 1959.[3]
His lifelong interest in Native American art was sparked serendipitously in 1955, when he happened upon a
Coe also influenced the work of other collectors, including Marion and Henry W. Bloch's well-regarded collection of Impressionist works[4][5] and Eugene V. Thaw.[2] Bloch said that he "would never have had a collection if not for Ted," and credited Coe with having guided the selection of virtually every piece in their collection.[3]
Coe died at age 81 on September 14, 2010, at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[1]
Significant exhibitions curated
- "The Imagination of Primitive Man: A Survey of the Arts of the Non-Literate Peoples of the World" The Nelson Gallery and Atkins Museum, Kansas City, MO, 1962. Bulletin, Vol. IV No. 1
- Sacred Circles: 2,000 Years of North American Indian Art (opened at ISBN 0-295-95584-8[6]
- Lost and Found Traditions: Native American Art, 1965-1985 (opened at ISBN 0-295-96699-8. Contemporary Native American artists.[6]
- The Responsive Eye: Ralph T. Coe and the Collecting of American Indian Art (opened at the ISBN 0-300-10187-2.
Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts
In 2007, the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts was established in Santa Fe, New Mexico as a not for profit institution devoted to increasing educational and public awareness of Indigenous art and culture.[7] The collection includes over 2,000 objects of Indigenous art from cultures throughout the world.[8] The center has a partnership with First American Art Magazine. In 2020, the center began discussions with America Meredith regarding programing.[9]
Books
- Ralph T. Coe and the Collecting of American Indian Art
Further reading
- Biography, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
- Coe, Ralph T., ed. (2003). The responsive eye : Ralph T. Coe and the collecting of American Indian art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Notes
- ^ New York Times(obituary), 2010/09/26.
- ^ a b c d Ralph T. Coe, Collector of American Indian Art (1929-2010) Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine, In View, ArtInfo.com; adapted from interview with Coe published in The Art Newspaper (2003).
- ^ a b c Spivak, Ann. "Ralph T. Coe, former Nelson director, dies at 81", The Kansas City Star, September 16, 2010. Accessed September 27, 2010.
- ^ Ralph T. Coe, Former Director, Nelson-Atkins Museum Archived 2012-03-24 at the Wayback Machine, Antiques and the Arts, Sept. 21, 2010.
- ^ Alice Thorson, "A tiny Renoir began impressive obsession Bloch collection gets its first public exhibition", The Kansas City Star (June 2, 2007).
- ^ a b "Ralph T. Coe (1929–2010)". ARTFORUM. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts". ATADA Foundation. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Coe Center for the Arts". Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Kelley, Nanette (16 July 2020). "Artist Leah Mata Fragua to be Featured in Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts' "Collections Spotlight"". Native News Online. Retrieved 23 September 2023.