R.C. Gorman (1931 – 2005) was a Navajo painter, printmaker, and sculptor whose fluid, luminous depictions of Indigenous women made him one of the most celebrated and widely collected Native American artists of the twentieth century.R.C. (Rudolph Charles) Gorman was born at the edge of the Canyon de Chelly, the legendary home of the Anasazi that is now home to the Navajo people. He spent his early years at the side of his mother, grandmother, and aunt, who herded sheep at Black Mountain, an upbringing steeped in natural beauty and the rich culture of his native heritage. He studied at what is now Northern Arizona University and at Mexico City College, where his exposure to stone lithography and the traditions of Mexican mural painting left a lasting impression on his developing practice. In 1968, Gorman moved to Taos, New Mexico, where he opened the Navajo Gallery, the first Native American-owned commercial art gallery in the United States.Gorman's Art StyleGorman is best known for his timeless portraits of full-bodied Indigenous women, rendered with an economy of line and vibrant color fields that give his figures a quality of serene, enduring presence. His fluid, curving forms reflect the influence of his time in Mexico as well as his deep connection to the landscape and people of the Southwest. "The colors of the sand, the rock, the sky; the shapes of hands, feet, backs; my Navajo grandmother's stories; the solitude of the Southwestern deserts and the stimulation of large cities such as San Francisco and Mexico City, all have influenced and figured prominently in my work over the years," Gorman said. His economy of line earned him the informal title of the Picasso of Indian Artists, a comparison that speaks to the deceptive simplicity and emotional depth of his work.The Legacy of R.C. GormanIn 1973, Gorman became the only living artist whose work was included in the Masterworks of the American Indian exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, with one of his pieces selected for the cover of the exhibit's catalog. It was a landmark moment of recognition for both Gorman and for Native American art more broadly. He died on November 3, 2005, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.Gorman's art is represented in major museum collections including the Smithsonian, the Museum of New Mexico, the San Diego Museum of Art, and the Denver Art Museum, as well as in countless private collections around the world. His influence on the market for Native American fine art and on the visibility of Indigenous artists in mainstream cultural institutions remains significant to this day.