19 June, 2011 0 comments Leave a comment

Continuing our tour of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, we were thrilled to see the historical art treasures housed in the Whitney Gallery of Western Art. (That's 'Western' as in western USA, not Western Civilization). So we're talkin' Cowboy art!

Four large paintings by N. C. Wyeth greet you when you enter the Whitney Gallery.

One of the highlights for me was this collection of large cowboy paintings by N. C. Wyeth (1882-1945), one of America's greatest illustrators. During his life he created 3,000 paintings and illustrated 112 books, of which 'Treasure Island' by Stevenson was his most famous.

'End of the Trail', bronze c. 1918-1923 by James Earl Fraser.

The museum had an outstanding collection of bronzes including several that I had seen photos of but never expected to see in the flesh. What a thrill!

'Kick'n Back', watercolour on paper, 1995 by Nelson Boren.

Contemporary artists working in Western subject matter were also represented in the collection. I really liked this huge watercolour of cowboy boots.

I did not see it, but John also checked out the Firearms exhibit at the Center and was amazed to see guns made as long ago as 500 AD, in a collection of 2,700 historical firearms on two floors. The Yellowstone and Plains Indians exhibits were less interesting to us but the Center as a whole was grand and highly recommended to anyone passing through Cody.

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