On March 21, 2019, The El Paso Museum of History will unveil the Tom Lea mural, Southwest, formerly exhibited at the El Paso Public Library’s Main Branch. Southwest was a gift by the artist to the El Paso Public Library’s Main Branch in Downtown El Paso.

Southwest was painted in 1956 as a collaborative effort between Lea and his wife Sarah. It is the only known collabroation of its kind between one of El Paso’s most prolific artists of the mid-twentieth century and his wife.

With the support of the Tom Lea Institute and in collaboration with El Paso Public Libraries, the El Paso Museum of History will temporarily host the mural.

In a passage from his book, A Picture Gallery, Lea describes his work as a panoramic window onto a vast and open landscape. “It spoke of space, sun, cloud, rain, wind, mountain, mesa, rock, sand, soil, and of living growth nurtured by them. The only human habitant was the viewer of this mural…” The El Paso Museum of History’s director, Dr. Vladimir von Tsurikov, expresses how, “Tom Lea’s mural is a nod to the beauty of El Paso’s mountains, and a fine example of early 20th century regionalism in the Southwest.”

The El Paso Museum of History is located at 510 N. Santa Fe St. El Paso, TX 79901. Admission to the El Paso Museum of History is free.