Culture Albuquerque: Burqueños Can Now View “Albuquerque” in Albuquerque

Untitled (Albuquerque), 1952, oil on canvas, 55 7/8 x 43 in. (141.9 x 109.2 cm), Collection of the Albuquerque Museum, museum purchase made possible by the Frederick Hammersley Fund for the Arts at the Albuquerque Community Foundation and the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation © Richard Diebenkorn Foundation

December 3, 2024

Acquisition of Richard Diebenkorn painting recently added to the Albuquerque Museum’s collection.

The Albuquerque Museum is honored to announce the acquisition of Richard Diebenkorn’s painting, Untitled (Albuquerque), 1952, which is now on view in the museum’s Common Ground exhibition.

Recognized as one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Richard Diebenkorn completed a Master’s in Fine Arts degree at the University of New Mexico (1952). He lived and worked in Albuquerque from 1950-1952 and described how the deep colors of the landscape, spectacular mountains, and vast blue skies of New Mexico deeply impacted his abstract works. The breakthrough he experienced in New Mexico shaped some of his most important later works.

“All paintings start out of a mood, out of a relationship with things or people, out of a complete visual impression,” Diebenkorn said.

“This acquisition is a big win for the Albuquerque Museum, but having it in our community is a big win for all Burqueños who enjoy art,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “As the museum’s collection grows, so does the its position as one of the most influential art institutions in the Southwest.”