Manville Chapman (1903-1978) Biography

View available paintings by Manville Chapman (1903-1978)

Manville Chapman grew up in Raton, New Mexico, and is best known for the eight murals he painted in that city’s Shuler Theater in 1933-34.  Chapman participated in several WPA projects including the creation of woodcuts for the Portfolio of Spanish Colonial Design of New Mexico (part of the Index of American Design) and for the opening of the Roswell Museum (Roswell, NM).   The WPA also circulated an exhibition of his “batik” prints on paper.  Chapman lived in Taos for a time and moved to California during the Second World War where he was in charge of the production of aircraft catalogues for the Douglas Aircraft Company.