All my life I’ve relied on this measured process of aesthetic absorption, whether the work is a Renaissance plaquette or a Native American wearing blanket. It involves returning over and again to the individual work of art. I revisit and bear constantly in mind the objects of my own collection, however large or small, to gain new insights. They are not trophies but instruments of passion, with the power to unexpectedly reveal mysteries.
Ralph T. Coe, 2003.
Ralph T. Coe Legacy “Instruments of Passion” exhibition was held at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe in 2013. The exhibition served as a window into Coe’s collecting and appreciation of tribal arts. Comprised of thirty-six works from Africa, North America, and Oceania, the exhibition put forth Coe’s idea of connection—that art and culture are inseparable. Please see following The Ralph T. Coe Legacy “Instruments of Passion”, exhibition article, August 9, 2013
