The Wright Contemporary is a gallery in Taos, NM, dedicated to the artists of northern New Mexico.

Named for the Santa Fe-based artist and benefactor Ira Wright, the gallery plans ten to twelve shows per year, curated by art journalist and director Ann Landi. Our debut show was “Explosive Abstraction,” which closed on August 8. Till September 18, “Taos Draws!,” a round-up of draftsmen (and women) from the area will be in the main galleries, and we have inaugurated a Project Space in the southernmost end of the building, where Paul Behnke has curated work by Lauren Dana Smith.

In the Wright Office we have works by Ira Wright, Gary Lloyd, TJ Mabrey, and artists from the Main Gallery. In the hallway is a video installation by Anna Bush Crews, Bubble/Splash (2022), a mini vision of the mighty Rio Grande.

Complementing the exhibitions is a roster of lectures and programs. In the past few weeks, Gwen Chanzit, curator emerita of the Denver Art Museum, gave an illustrated lecture on the origins of abstraction, while Jason Andrew, from Artist Estate Management LLC, spoke to a full house about getting your affairs in order before you travel to that great studio in the sky (a video of this talk is available on YouTube). On August 20 we will have an informal talk by artist Dora Dillistone on her adventures as an accidental collector (her boffo collection includes works by Larry Bell, Sam Gilliam, Ron Cooper, Dorothy Hood, and Dan Christensen). Later in the month a panel of dealers from Taos and Santa Fe, will be discussing many aspects of the gallery business (see the Events page).  In September, we will have an “Evening with Larry Bell,” to investigate the myriad aspects of his long and stellar career) and during the Taos Fall Arts Festival, Marcie Begleiter will be here to screen her landmark documentary Eva Hesse, with a discussion about the making of the film afterward.

Be sure to enter your email address on the Contact page of the site, so you can stay up to speed on shows and events.

The Wright Contemporary is located at 627 Paseo del Pueblo Sur in Taos, New Mexico. It’s on the main route leading to the downtown historic district, with ample parking behind and in front of the gallery.