Walter Ufer (1876-1936)
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Walter Ufer was an American painter of the Taos Society of Artists in New Mexico. Ufer was born in Hückeswagen, Germany, but lived there only one year before his family relocated to Louisville, Kentucky. Ufer showed artistic talent at an early age and went to work as a lithography apprentice. Ufer was encouraged to receive formal art training, and spent five years studying at Germany’s Royal Academy of the Fine Arts. In Germany, Ufer met a group of influential American painters, including Joseph Henry Sharp and Ernest Blumenschein.
In 1913 Ufer and his wife, Mary Fredericksen settled in Chicago. Ufer worked as a commercial illustrator who sent him to Taos, New Mexico several times on assignment. Ufer began painting Taos pueblos and the Native American people. In 1917 Ufer joined the Taos Society of Artists and lived in New Mexico on a full-time basis. Ufer painted alongside his wife, as well as former classmates Sharp and Blumenshchein.
Ufer’s paintings depicted Native American life in a realistic, unidealized manner. Ufer tried to show the oppression and social injustices that the Native people faced. Ufer was a politically active member of the Socialist party and personal friend of Socialist leader, Leon Trotsky. Ufer joined worker strikes and fought for social justice.
Ufer made a living exhibiting and selling his work around the United States. The National Academy of Design in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago, both awarded Ufer for his artistic excellence. Major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. acquired Ufer’s paintings for their collections.
Ufer was greatly supported by the wealthy patron and collector, William Henry Klauer. The Iowa-based collector purchased Ufer’s paintings for over twenty years of his career. Unfortunately, the Stock Market crash made it hard for Ufer to make a descent living as a painter. It was not until after Ufer’s death, that his paintings became significantly valuable. Ufer is now acknowledged as one of the most important painters of the Taos Society of Artists. Do you think you own a painting by Walter Ufer? Contact us. We are the experts on Walter Ufer.