LANDING AFTER HOURS: THE CAPITOL LUNETTS, OSCAR E. BERNINGHAUS AND THE TAOS SOCIETY OF ARTISTS

The original Capitol Decoration Commission planned to use artwork to educate people about the resources and history of the state of Missouri. The lunette murals decorating the second floor are among the most direct representations of this goal. Oscar Berninghaus, a St. Louis native, and his colleagues of the Taos Society of Artists created many of the original lunettes. The commission chose the Taos artists due to their expertise in depicting American landscapes and scenes of Indigenous cultures, two subjects that would feature prominently in the lunette murals. Join Dr. Sarah S. Jones, art historian for the Missouri State Museum, to explore the history of the Taos Society of Artists and its contribution to the art of the Missouri Capitol.