Nordfeldt Connections pairs with An American Internationalist: B. J. O. Nordfeldt to highlight this internationally regarded artist’s connections to Wichita in the 1930s. Nordfeldt was tied to our city through local son Ed Davison, a banker and painter who summered in New Mexico and befriended many notable artists in the art colonies of Taos and Santa Fe. Nordfeldt frequently visited Davison in Wichita, sometimes on extended stays when he lectured and taught classes. Nordfeldt Connections features work by Nordfeldt himself and his friends Ed Davison, Birger Sandzen, and others.

Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt was a modernist of international reputation. He was born in Sweden and moved with his family to the United States when 14 years old. He trained at the Art Institute of Chicago as well as the Académie Julien in Paris. Nordfeldt firmly embraced the fiercely independent spirit of modernism, and he continued to explore different subjects and styles to remain fresh and authentic across his career.
With a spirit that sought new locations for new artistic inspiration, he lived in or near artist colonies in Provincetown in Massachusetts, Santa Fe in New Mexico, and New Hope in Pennsylvania.

Image:
Edmund L. Davison, Mesa Road, 1943. Oil on canvas, 27 x 34 inches. Wichita Art Museum, Edmund L. and Faye Davison Collection