SANTA FE, N.M. — The New Mexico Museum of Art will explore the intersection of art, architecture and landscape in Antoine Predock: Landscape Body Form Light, a new exhibition examining the creative practice of one of the most internationally recognized architects of his generation. Opening Nov. 21, 2026, at the museum’s Plaza location, the exhibition will remain on view through Aug. 15, 2027.
Best known for his architectural designs that reflect the landscapes and cultural histories of New Mexico, Antoine Predock (1936–2024) built an internationally celebrated career creating structures that connect the natural and built environments. Yet beyond his architectural achievements, Predock maintained a lifelong commitment to artistic exploration, using drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and digital imaging to shape his understanding of space, form and place.
Curated by Christopher Mead, emeritus Regents’ professor at the University of New Mexico and fellow of the Society of Architectural Historians, Antoine Predock: Landscape Body Form Light offers a rare opportunity to examine the artistic practice that informed Predock’s architectural vision.
“This exhibition keeps a promise I made to Antoine Predock in the year before his death in 2024,” said Christopher Mead, exhibition curator. It looks, not to his world-famous architecture, but to his lifelong practice of painting, sketching, and modeling, a practice grounded in the landscapes of New Mexico and indebted to the artists—painters, sculptors, architects, dancers—who inspired his intuitive artmaking.”
The exhibition brings together works across multiple media, including drawings, paintings, watercolors, sculptures, collages, photographs and digital imagery, to reveal how Predock’s artistic investigations influenced his architectural designs.
By examining Predock’s work beyond his buildings, the exhibition invites visitors to discover how his artistic practice informed his approach to architecture. Through explorations of landscape, body, form and light, the exhibition reveals an architect whose creative vision extended beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Opening reception and public programs
The New Mexico Museum of Art will celebrate the exhibition with a public opening reception Friday, Nov. 20, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at its Plaza location, 107 W. Palace Ave. The reception will include light refreshments and remarks from the curator. A donor and press preview will precede the reception from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the museum will present Desert and Light: The Art and Architecture of Judith Chafee and Antoine Predock, a conversation exploring the artistic and architectural contributions of two influential Southwestern architects.
The program will feature guest curator Christopher Mead and Christopher Domin, architect and educator at the University of Arizona’s College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. Devendra Contractor, AIA, founding principal of dnca architects, will moderate the discussion. The program will take place in St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art’s Plaza location.
About the New Mexico Museum of Art
The New Mexico Museum of Art celebrates the art and artists of New Mexico and the broader Southwest through exhibitions, collections and educational programs that connect audiences with the region’s rich artistic heritage. With locations on the historic Santa Fe Plaza and at the Vladem Contemporary, the museum presents art across generations, cultures and disciplines, fostering dialogue between artistic traditions and contemporary creative practices.
