Douglas Higgins
b. 1939
New Jersey native Doug Higgins has been a well-known figure among New Mexico painters for several decades.
Higgins’ fine art studies began in his native state at Montclair State College and the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts. Subsequently, he studied in New York at both the Frank Reilly School of Art and at the Art Students League.
Higgins began his professional life, however, not as a painter but as an actor in New York and Hollywood. Fans may remember the character of Bennett Hadley that Higgins played in the 1970s on the celebrated soap opera, As the World Turns.
In 1980 Higgins determined that his true calling was to the fine arts. He came to Santa Fe and set about making New Mexico his familiar company. Shortly thereafter Higgins began showing in Santa Fe galleries, including at Nedra Matteucci Fine Arts and at Nedra Matteucci Galleries.
In the decades during which Higgins has painted in New Mexico, the artist has distinguished himself as a major exponent of Western painting. His work has been widely admired and has received numerous, coveted, national awards for artistic achievement.
