Margarete Bagshaw
A third-generation Pueblo artist who shattered geometric conventions with bold, flowing abstractions drawn from her ancestral legacy.
1964–2015 (age 51)·American artist·Birthday: November 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Margarete Bagshaw was born into a dynasty of Pueblo artists—her mother was potter Grace Medicine Flower, and her grandmother was the foundational potter Lucy Lewis. Rather than replicate the precise black-on-black pottery of her forebears, Bagshaw forged a radical new path on canvas. Her paintings are explosions of color and dynamic, organic form, translating the spiritual and artistic vocabulary of Santa Clara Pueblo into a vibrant, contemporary visual language. She moved from New Mexico to New Mexico, establishing a gallery in Santa Fe that became a hub for Native art. Bagshaw's work represents a fearless evolution of tradition, proving that cultural heritage could be a springboard for profound and personal innovation.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Margarete was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Margarete Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Margarete's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2015Died at 51
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Founded the Margarete Bagshaw Gallery in Santa Fe, championing Native American artists.
- Her paintings are held in permanent collections including the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.
- Authored the book 'A Personal Journey: The Art of Margarete Bagshaw' documenting her life and work.
Did You Know?
She initially pursued a career in music and theater before fully committing to visual art.
Bagshaw was a direct descendant of the Tewa people of the Santa Clara Pueblo.
She often used a palette knife instead of brushes to create the textured, layered effects in her paintings.
“My art is a continuation of my family's story, but it is my own voice on the canvas.”
