Yeibichai III, 1932
Gina Knee Brook (American, 1898 - 1982)
watercolor, 18 3/4 x 13 1/2 in. (47.6 x 34.3 cm) (image)
Bequest of Gina Knee, 1984
1984.274.15
Gina Knee (Virginia Schnaufer) was born to a prevalent family in Marietta, OH. Painting and visual arts were a part of her life at a young age, but she was discouraged from pursuing an art career. Around 1930, her first marriage ended and Knee studied briefly at the Art Students League in New York. Inspired by the paintings of John Marin, she travelled to New Mexico, making it her home for the next ten years. Knee documented her educational visits to local Native American dance rituals and ceremonies in her watercolors.