The Press of Gustave Baumann
view enlarged panelGustave Baumann arrived in New Mexico during the summer of 1918. Like other artists of the day, he found a personal vision in the light, color and culture of the Southwest. Early in his career he was employed as a commercial artist while he attended evening classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. He traveled to his birthplace of Germany for a year to study art, and returned to the Midwest to establish himself as an independent artist and designer. By the time he settled in Santa Fe he was already accomplished in the world of publishing.
Although he became widely recognized for the multicolored woodblock prints he did on his press in Santa Fe, he never lost interest in the book as a forum for his work and produced two notable titles in the period between the two world wars. Less well known than his masterful prints, Baumann’s book work makes use of his woodblock illustrations and demonstrates his genius for color and texture. One of the century’s truly great artists and craftsmen, Baumann pursued various artistic interests in Santa Fe until his death in 1971 at the age of ninety.
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