The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has recently announced the acquisition of two pieces of wildlife art: Richard Friese’s Three Polar Bears and Bruno Liljefors’ Fox in Snow with Prey, both from around 1912.
Both works are gifts from museum patrons Tim and Karen Hixon.
Bruno Liljefors (1860-1939), Fox in Snow with Prey, ca. 1912, 15 x 20”. Gift of Tim and Karen Hixon, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
“The Hixons are longtime supporters of the museum, and we are so pleased that Karen Hixon chose Fox in the Snow to come to us. Bruno Liljefors was the most influential Swedish wildlife painter of the late-19th and early-20th centuries, and he is known today as a part of the Big Four, which includes Wilhelm Kuhnert, Richard Friese and Carl Rungius,” says museum curator Tammi Hanawalt. “Liljefors’ style is quite unique, perhaps because he lived in Sweden, he painted with an atmospheric quality that is different from the other three artists from Germany, all of whom are central to our permanent collection. Typically, Liljefors tended to paint smaller predators, like the fox in this picture, as well as birds of prey. He also liked to paint domestic cats because he admired their hunting abilities. This painting captures the spirit of the fox as it proudly trots off with its prize catch—a fat grouse. You also notice Liljefors’ influence over other generations of wildlife artists, such as Bob Kuhn, who also painted foxes and other canines. It’s wonderful to be able to share this artwork with, and possibly introduce the artist to our many visitors.”
The Friese work was recently on display as part of the exhibition Survival of the Fittest. For more information about the museum, visit www.wildlifeart.org. —
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Calling all Western Art museums! Have a recently acquired painting or sculpture? Email the details to mclawson@westernartcollector.com.
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