John Edward Thompson and Colorado Modernism

Artist and educator John Edward Thompson (1882 -1945) was born in Buffalo, New York, and moved to Denver in 1918 after spending twelve years in Europe. He is best remembered for having introduced the expressive colors, simplified shapes, and tilted perspectives of European modernism to the Rocky Mountain West. Thompson impacted generations of artists through classes at the Chappell School of Art, the Denver Academy of Fine and Applied Arts, and the University of Denver. He had longstanding ties to the Denver Art Museum, participating in almost every annual exhibition from 1919 to 1945 and serving as a member of the museum’s Board of Trustees. 

The museum hosted his memorial exhibition in 1945 after his death. With the support of local collectors and The Kirkland Institute, this exhibition celebrates Thompson’s work and career alongside those of his friends and students during the first half of the 1900s. The artists and patrons featured in this exhibition changed