Courtesy University of Denver Special Collections and Archives.
Ramus was born in Denver in 1902 and spent much of his life in the city and in the surrounding countryside. After studying for several years at the Denver Academy of Applied Arts, Ramus left to follow one of his instructors, the painter John E. Thompson, to the newly founded Chappell House art school. His efforts there focused largely on printmaking, though his formal education had been in drawing and painting.
Landscape, 1923, by Charles Frederick Ramus (1902–1979, American). Oil on canvas; 24 x 36 in. Gift of James and Ann Enix, Collection Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art.
He often assisted Thompson with mural commissions. This experience in mural painting led him to Mexico in 1925, where he worked with the Mexican muralists Diego Rivera (1886–1957) and José Clemente Orozco (1883–1949). It was during this period that he discovered—and began to collect—the work of renowned Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada (1852–1913).
Ramus’ professional connections, taste, and worldly travels led him to build a robust personal collection of eclectic works from Native American baskets to paintings from India, and numerous European and American prints. Several such works are now part of the Denver Art Museum’s collections for European art, Native arts, arts of Asia, and Latin American art.
Examples of Ramus' donations to the DAM's collections of European art, Native arts, arts of Asia, and Latin American art.
Ramus’ time in Mexico coincided with a renewed popularity and recognition for Posada’s works, promoted by artist Jean Charlot and reinforced by the likes of Diego Rivera. This timely resurgence along with Ramus’ established interest in printmaking and Mexican art informed his collecting practices, leading to a fateful gift to the DAM over 20 years later.
Ramus & Posada
In 1948, Ramus donated 23 Posada prints to the museum, all in beautiful condition. After 75 years in storage, these works will at last grace the DAM’s gallery walls in a new exhibition exploring the artist’s works and widespread impact, titled The Skeletal World of José Guadalupe Posada (October 29, 2023–May 12, 2024)
Much like Ramus, Posada started out as a teacher before becoming a printmaker following an apprenticeship with Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, a printer of low-cost popular publications. While the calavera (skeleton) graphic is said to have been developed by fellow artist Manuel Manilla (1830–1895), Posada successfully popularized the imagery through his prints by about 1910, coinciding with the start of the Mexican Revolution (1910–17). A helpful tool to combat the high illiteracy rates of the time, Posada’s striking calaveras satirized politicians and revolutionaries, and poked fun at Mexico’s rapid technological growth and events from daily life.
Numerous copies of Posada's prints would be widely distributed on broadsides. One such print was La Catrina , which would go on to become an icon for the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), observed November 1–2 every year. A blend of Meso-American and Catholic practices, the celebration’s purpose is to remember loved ones who have passed. Those who observe this tradition leave ofrendas or offerings for the deceased in front of lovingly arranged altars, often including decorative skulls, solidifying the connection between the holiday and Posada’s calaveras.
Examples of Posada prints.
Debuting at the Denver Art Museum
A long overdue presentation of Posada’s immeasurable impact, the DAM’s exhibition bridges the early twentieth-century skeleton iconography with modern and contemporary examples, including a Death Cart from 2001 by New Mexican artist Luis Tapia (b. 1950). The show also links the Latin American and architecture and design collections with a Grateful Dead poster from 1966, designed by Alton Kelley (1940–2008) and Stanley Mouse (b. 1940), featuring an illustrated skeleton surrounded by red roses.
This commemoration of such iconic Mexican imagery and history would not be possible without the foresight and generosity of the late Charles F. Ramus. Though Ramus never pursued a formal degree, he went on to a storied career as a curator and university professor. In 1929, he was appointed as Curator of Primitive Arts at the Cleveland Museum of Art, before later taking up positions at the University of Denver as a lecturer in art history and Curator of Prints and Drawings at the DAM. His work at DU inspired generations of students, by whom he was beloved as a capable and enthusiastic instructor. Ramus passed away from cancer at 76 years old and was laid to rest at the Buffalo Creek Cemetery in Jefferson County.
