Rediscovering B.J.O. Nordfelt:
A Wanderer’s Brush with Modernism

Chimayo Trading Staff Report | June 2026

Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt (1878–1955), better known by his adopted artistic name B.J.O. Nordfeldt, remains one of the more restless and multifaceted figures in early 20th-century American art. A Swedish-born immigrant who embraced the spirit of modernism while charting his own independent path, Nordfeldt refused to be pinned down by any single style, school, or locale. His career spanned continents and artistic movements, from post-Impressionism to bold expressionism, always driven by a deep curiosity about place, light, and human experience.

We are thrilled to present a standout work from the final chapter of one of American modernism’s most independent voices: B.J.O. Nordfeldt’s “Carrying the Dead Christ” (1954). Come to Chimayo Trading in Ranchos de Taos to see it in person, or visit us online at chimayotrading.com.

“Carrying The Dead Christ”, 1954
Oil on canvas
24″ x 36″
$28,000

This commanding oil on canvas exemplifies Nordfeldt’s Biblical/religious series, reflecting his lifelong commitment to subjects of deep emotional resonance. Critics at the time specifically praised its composition, a solemn procession of stylized figures bears the shrouded body of Christ. The painting conveys profound communal grief, reverence, and spiritual weight with modernist clarity and poetic power.

Born in Tullstorp, Sweden, young Bror emigrated with his family to Chicago in 1891 at the age of 13. Nordfeldt’s life was defined by artistic migrations. Somehwere between 1917 and 1919, he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he would live for two decades, one of the longest and most productive periods of his career. The dramatic landscapes, indigenous cultures, and intense Southwestern light transformed his palette. Encouraged by his artist friend, Russell Cowles, Nordfeldt added landscapes to his subject matter beginning 1929, but destroyed many of these paintings before leaving New Mexico.

While living in Santa Fe, he initially painted sympathetic Native American figures and used Native American motifs as design elements in his canvases. Nordfelt’s treatment of Native Americans was startling to many at the time as he conveyed them with an air of mystery that invited viewers to regard them as human beings of psychological depth and not just curiousity-arousing ethnic figures. He was one of the founding members of the Indian Artists Fund, an organization dedicated to preserving the heritage of the Pueblo tribes.

His direct, vigorous brushwork turned everyday subjects like landscapes, portraits, and religious themes, into powerful formal statements. He painted portraits of notable figures while also producing evocative works such as nocturnes featuring solitary riders under harvest moons, capturing the solitude and majesty of the New Mexico terrain.

Nordfeldt died on April 21, 1955, in Henderson, Texas. Today, his works are held in major collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and recent retrospectives have highlighted him as an “American Internationalist”, a label that captures his Swedish roots, European training, and deep engagement with American landscapes and cultures. What makes Nordfeldt compelling is not just technical skill but his refusal to settle. In an era of rapidly evolving “-isms,” he followed his own compass: from the misty shores of Cape Cod to the sun-baked deserts of the Southwest. His art reminds us that modernism wasn’t a rigid doctrine but a spirit of restless inquiry… one that continues to resonate for contemporary artists seeking authenticity amid changing environments.

Whether exploring his bold prints, luminous seascapes, introspective Southwestern scenes or his Biblical/religious series, B.J.O. Nordfeldt offers a model of an artist who lived as fully as he painted: always moving, always observing, always evolving. His story is a testament to the creative power of curiosity and place.

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#1 Saint Francis Church Plaza
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

575.758.0504

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