Fritz Scholder

Fritz Scholder (1937–2005) was a Luiseño artist who radically challenged the conventions of Native American art. Born in Breckenridge, Minnesota, he studied under Wayne Thiebaud and later taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. His paintings — vivid, expressionistic, often unsettling — depicted Native Americans in ways that broke from both romanticized tradition and assimilationist art. His "Indian" series caused significant controversy and significant acclaim simultaneously, earning him a place among the most influential American artists of the latter twentieth century. Scholder maintained studios in Scottsdale and Taos throughout his career.