Margarete Bagshaw (1964–2015) was a Native American painter known for her bold use of color, geometric abstraction, and a distinctive approach that diverged from traditional Native art forms. Born into an artistic lineage as the granddaughter of renowned Santa Clara Pueblo painter Pablita Velarde and the daughter of artist Helen Hardin, Bagshaw carved out her own artistic identity while honoring her family's legacy. Largely self-taught, Bagshaw embraced modernist influences and Cubist-inspired compositions, blending them with vibrant palettes and layered textures. Her work often explored themes of femininity, cultural continuity, and personal resilience, reflecting both her Pueblo heritage and her innovative spirit. Throughout her career, she challenged expectations of Native American art, advocating for its evolution beyond conventional forms and representations.

Margarete Bagshaw's artwork has been showcased in numerous exhibitions and is held in various esteemed museum collections across the United States. She participated in over a dozen major museum exhibitions, including those at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Hampton University Museum in Virginia. In 2012, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe hosted a solo exhibition titled "Margarete Bagshaw: Breaking the Rules," which featured over 30 of her works. The following year, in 2013, the Ellen Noël Art Museum in Odessa, Texas, presented "The Color of Oil: Paintings by Margarete Bagshaw," further highlighting her contributions to contemporary Native American art. Her paintings are part of major museum collections, including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, the Heard Museum in Phoenix, and the Denver Art Museum, among others.