John Edward Thompson

John E. Thompson 1945 Interior Still Life, Colorado Modernist Oil Painting

1945

John Edward Thompson was one of Colorado's most acclaimed modernist painters. He was born in Buffalo in 1882. He studied at the Art Students League in New York with L.W. Hitchcock and also at the Académie Julian in Paris with J.P. Laurens in 1907. In 1917, Thompson moved to Denver. He organized a Colorado Armory Show in 1918, undaunted by the negative attitude that modern art received in the first half of the 20th century. Thompson began teaching at the Denver Academy of Applied Art and later taught at the University of Denver. While teaching at the University of Denver he helped to found the Chappell House which was later known as the Denver University art department. Through the exposure he gained from his mural work, Thompson quickly made a name for himself among Denver society. In 1928, Thompson became one of the founding members of the Denver Artists Guild. Thompson spent many summers painting and teaching in Santa Fe and made important contributions to that art community as well. For his dedication to art and the community, John Edward Thompson came to be known as the Dean of Colorado Painters. John Edward Thompson died in Colorado in 1945.