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Tonita Vigil (Quah Ah) Pena

Tonita Vigil (Quah Ah) Pena (1895 - 1949) was active/lived in New Mexico.  Tonita Pena is known for Native American, genre, animal and figure painting.

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Born in San Ildefonso Pueblo, Tonita Pena showed early art talent by the age of seven in the San Ildefonso Day School.  She became the first Pueblo Indian easel painter, and doing genre painting of local village life, she broke away from the stereotype of only men doing narrative painting.  At that time, women's artwork was mostly geometric patterns, but her village scenes were lively and animated, and her figures were modeled forms.  She is credited with liberating Indian women to paint whatever they wanted.

In her art, she was encouraged by her family, her teachers, her three husbands, and New Mexico archaeologist and Museum Director Edgar Hewitt and painter Kenneth Chapman.  Hewitt gave her art supplies and purchased her paintings, and art instructor Dorothy Dunn gave her classes at the Santa Fe Indian School.  A resident of Chochiti Pueblo after she married, she managed to find time to paint daily in addition to her domestic chores of raising eight c   ...  [Displaying 1000 of 4884 characters.]  Artist bio

Artist auction records

.  askART's database currently holds 70 auction lots for Tonita Vigil (Quah Ah) Pena (of which 62 auction records sold and 0 are upcoming at auction.)

Artist artworks for sale and wanted

.  There are 0 artworks for sale on our website by galleries and art dealers . There are 3 galleries and art dealers listing works of art by Tonita Vigil (Quah Ah) Pena as either "Wanted" or "For Sale" .

Research resources

.  askART lists Tonita Vigil (Quah Ah) Pena in 0 of its research Essays. Tonita Vigil (Quah Ah) Pena has 13 artist signature examples available in our database.

Similar artists

.  There are 24 similar (related) artists for Tonita Vigil (Quah Ah) Pena available:    Romando Vigil,  Julian Martinez,  Awa Tsireh,  Velino Shije Herrera,  Raymond Naha,  Percy Tsisete Sandy,  Fred Kabotie,  Quincy Tahoma,  Merina Lujan Pop Chalee,  Gilbert Benjamin Atencio,  Gerald Nailor,  Abel (Oqwa Pi) Sanchez,  Beatien (Little No Shirt) Yazz,  Jose Roybal,  Pablita (Tse Tsan-Golden Dawn) Velarde,  Andy Van (Andrew) Tsinajinnie,  David Paladin,  Helen Hardin,  Michael Kabotie,  Diane O'Leary,  Tomas Vigil,  Harrison (Haskay Yahne Yah) Begay,  Robert Chee,  Margaret Maria (Corn Blossom) Tafoya



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Facts about Tonita Vigil (Quah Ah) Pena

   Tonita Vigil (Quah Ah) Pena  Born:  1895 - San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico
Died:   1949 - San Ildelfonso Pueblo, New Mexico
Known for:  Native American, genre, animal and figure painting

Born in San Ildefonso Pueblo, Tonita Pena showed early art talent by the age of seven in the San Ildefonso Day School.  She became the first Pueblo Indian easel painter, and doing genre painting of local village life, she broke away from the stereotype of only men doing narrative painting.  At that time, women's artwork was mostly geometric patterns, but her village scenes were lively and animated, and her figures were modeled forms.  She is credited with liberating Indian women to paint whatever they wanted.

In her art, she was encouraged by her family, her teachers, her three husbands, and New Mexico archaeologist and Museum Director Edgar Hewitt and painter Kenneth Chapman.  Hewitt gave her art supplies and pur  ...  Displaying 750 of 4884 characters.

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