Who Were the Indian Space Painters?

How Traditional Native American Art Inspired a 20th-Century Movement

Aug 2, 2009

Akin to the Abstract Expressionists, the Indian Space painters were an informal group of New York artists sharing a common attraction to Native American form invention.

Readers wishing to learn more about the movement will find an introduction below. While an in-depth, theoretical discussion isn’t offered here, it is hoped that key names, brief career descriptions, and an overview of the group’s basic strategies will create departure points for further study.

Concerns about the potential insensitivity of the term “Indian Space” are sincerely noted. Obviously, it originated during a period in American history that more or less predated multicultural awareness. Because it was used routinely in conjunction with the group’s admiration for Native American art-making, the phrase is utilized here in that spirit.

Howard Daum (1918–1988)

A life-long adherent to abstract painting, Daum is said to have coined the term “Indian Space” in reference to the pictorial structure of Northwest Coast indigenous art. His work is characterized by interlocking, intensely colored shapes, producing (as did much of the group’s imagery) a tension between geometric and biomorphic forms.

Peter Busa (1914–1985)

Like Daum, Busa was instrumental in giving concrete shape to the group’s ideas. Some of his mid-century painting is overtly geometric, but his mature work often features irregular planes of flat color integrated into bold, semi-gestural designs. It also contains elements of figuration, despite Busa’s commitment to abstract painting.

Robert Barrell (1912–1995)

Acknowledged as a seminal figure by other members of the Indian Space group, Barrell was among the first New York artists to actively investigate Native American imagery. His work is characterized by organic forms entwined in intricate patterns and, in some cases, powerful contrasts between highlights and backgrounds.

Steve Wheeler (1912–1992)

Although many continue to associate him with Indian Space principles, Wheeler only identified briefly with the group. He paintings incorporate detailed, often repetitive patterns made up of small geometric constituents. In this way his work bears some similarity to American Southwest indigenous art as well as to Northwest styles. It also employs Surrealist approaches.

Other Indian Space Group Members

A poet and intellectual named Kenneth Beaudoin deserves credit for helping to organize the group’s early exhibitions. Beaudoin also published the magazine Iconograph, which promoted the Indian Space ideals, although it proved to be a short-lived publication.

Other artists in the movement included Will Barnet, Gertrude Barrer, Ruth Lewin, and Helen DeMott. Sadly, within their lifetimes, none of these painters received more than scant recognition beyond a limited New York circle. Their work continues to enrich collections around the country, however, and the group’s role in launching American abstract painting has gained appreciation in recent decades.

Sources:

The copyright of the article Who Were the Indian Space Painters? in 20th Century Art is owned by Scott Fogdall. Permission to republish Who Were the Indian Space Painters? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.