John Edward Thompson and Colorado Modernism

John Edward Thompson and Colorado Modernism is on view at the Denver Art Museum, on the seventh floor of the Martin Building. It opened July 17, 2026, and will run through the summer of 2028, so you've got plenty of time to catch it.

Thompson (1882–1945) was born in Buffalo, New York, and spent twelve years in Europe before moving to Denver in 1918. He's credited with bringing the expressive colors, simplified shapes, and tilted perspectives of European modernism to the Rocky Mountain West, and he's described as one of Colorado's most important and least known artists. The show puts his work center stage, and it also honors the patrons who changed the course of artistic production in the state, with support from local collectors and The Kirkland Institute.

Beyond the canvas, Thompson was a teacher. He taught at the Chappell School of Art, the Denver Academy of Fine and Applied Arts, and the University of Denver, where he encouraged his students—including women and immigrants—to explore a wide range of styles and techniques. His ties to the museum ran deep: he hung in almost every annual exhibition from 1919 to 1945, served on the board of trustees, and the museum staged a memorial show after he died in 1945.

Admission is included with general admission, and museum members get in free every day. Youth 18 and under also get free general admission every day through the Free for Kids program. The exhibition is on the seventh floor of the Martin Building.