Old Taos County Courthouse Murals
“Moses the Law Giver” by Victor Higgins. PWAP. 1934 (Source: Wikimedia Creative Commons)
“You had visitors in here looking at them — amazed. They continue to enlighten,” Leger Fernández said. “So, yes, the fact that you are working to preserve the historic nature of these is a very compelling reason [for the funding].” - Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez
The old Taos County Courthouse has a solid renovation plan and is seeking federal funds to rehabilitate the historic building and further protect and preserve the WPA murals in the former courtroom. New Mexico Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez toured the building last week as part of her effort to secure federal funding through the new Community Project Funding program. If secured, the funding would go toward stabilizing the structure, upgrading it for ADA compliance, and also to ensure the preservation of the historic Works Progress Administration. Murals.
Robert Cafazzo described the murals in the New Mexico Magazine:
“The high-ceilinged upstairs courtroom, no longer used for legal proceedings, is adorned with 10 fresco murals painted by four Taos artists funded by the Works Progress Administration and completed in 1934.
The theme of the murals, “use and misuse of the law,” was decided by a committee of artists that included Jesse Nusbaum and Gustave Baumann. The work itself was done by Modernist painters Emil Bisttram and Ward Lockwood and the Taos Society of Artists’ Bert Geer Phillips and Victor Higgins—dubbed the Taos Fresco Quartet.
All ten murals are allegorical in nature, and quite dramatic. Victor Higgins created the largest panel, titled Moses, the Law Giver. Contemporary artists and art lovers today appreciate his dramatic use of clouds.
At the time, the paintings would have been considered to be in the Modernist style, much in keeping with the influence of Diego Rivera. Each is a narrative dramatization of its chosen title. Bisttram, a founding member of the Transcendental Painting Group (painters of an abstract style perhaps most similar to Wassily Kandinsky), included a classic robed Madonna in his frescoes, as a symbol of protection.
Two of the panels at the back were never completed by the Fresco Quartet. In 1994, Frederico Vigil (one of the last living students of Diego Rivera) restored the murals and added his own panel, Respect Creates Harmony. One last panel to this day remains blank.” (Carfazzo, 2015).
More Information:
Santa Fe New Mexican & The Taos News (6/12/15): Federal Funds Sought to Help Renovate Former Taos County Courthouse
New Mexico Magazine (2015): Taos’ Old County Courthouse Murals
New Mexico Historic Preservation Division (2013): Historic Taos County Courthouse Condition Assessment & Preservation Plan (Page 54)
Living New Deal - Old Taos County Courthouse Mural descriptions and information
Old Taos County Courhouse on Plaza, Taos, NM
