Recap: Allen Tupper True Series
About the tour: Tour-goers discovered the murals of Allen Tupper True during this two-mile adventure through downtown Denver. The group heard from expert guides about the acclaimed muralist and how the works attest to his extraordinary vision and expression. Tour stops included murals at architecturally significant sites, including Civic Center Park, The Brown Palace, Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel and Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Building.
About Allen Tupper True: A Colorado native, Allen Tupper True was born in Colorado Springs and grew up with a love for the American frontier. Initially self-taught as an artist, he later studied at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. and Howard Pyle’s School of Illustration in Delaware. True began his career as a magazine illustrator, looking to his Western upbringing as a source and inspiration for his work. He found his ultimate calling as a muralist, and his work can be found in numerous Colorado buildings and throughout the West.
About the tour guides: Jim Barrett, enterprise architect, writer and historian, and Maggie Gourd-Barrett, educator, have researched Allen Tupper True’s life and artistic works over the past 15 years. After the Barretts purchased the Allen Tupper True studio, they discovered he painted the Colorado National Bank murals at 17th and Champa, now the Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel. Visiting the murals in the grand lobby of the former bank led to exhibiting True and his granddaughter’s art collection in the studio. Their years of research provided the basis for the 2009 award-winning “Allen True’s West” exhibits at the Denver Art Museum, History Colorado and Denver Public Library and a documentary produced by KBDI-PBS. Most recently, the Barretts assisted the University of Denver in learning more about True, an alumnus of the school. They have researched and cataloged a large number of works by Paschal Quackenbush, True’s partner and assistant on numerous projects throughout his life.
