Kiowa Five - Art Career

Art Career

While Jacobson did not wish to dictate subject matter to the remaining five artists, he did actively promote their work. He arranged for their work to be shown at the Denver Art Museum. In 1928, Jacobson entered their watercolor paintings in the First International Art Exposition in Prague, Czechoslovakia, where they received international acclaim. Their work continued to be exhibited throughout Europe. In 1929, Jacobson collaborated with a French printer to produce, Kiowa Art, a portfolio of 24 pochoir prints of their paintings of intertribal dancers, ceremonies, musicians, and Kiowa daily life.

When they participated in the 1932 Venice Biennale, their exhibit "was acclaimed the most popular exhibit among all the rich and varied displays assembled."

The Kiowa Six are considered significant in the development of Native American painting, bridging the era of Ledger Art to flatstyle Southern Plains painting. While not the first Native Americans to be successful in the international fine art world, their career proved inspirational to many Native artists in the 20th century.