Now on view at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, is the exhibition James Bama’s Photographs: Portraits of the West.The late artist, who died in 2022, was a famous resident of Cody. His early career was spent in illustration, but his later fine art career focused on portraits of subjects from all around the West, from Native Americans to working cowboys to rodeo riders. The photography in the show largely comes from the 1970s and 1980s.
James Bama (1926-2022), Roy Bezona, 1970, black-and-white photograph, 11 x 8½”. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY. Gift of James Bama, 2007. MS 243 James Bama Collection, McCracken Research Library. P.243.57938.
James Bama (1926-2022), Rodeo Riders, College Rodeo, Cody, WY, 1985, black-and-white photograph, 11 x 14”. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY. Gift of James Bama, 2007. MS 243 James Bama Collection, McCracken Research Library. P.243.02465.
“While Bama is most celebrated as an illustrator and painter, this exhibition underscores the foundation of his art in photography,” the museum notes. “Bama’s sharp eye for composition, detail and context is evident in his photographic portraits, which capture the complexities of Western histories and identities. Through these images, viewers gain insights into the humor, drama, beauty, strength, contradictions, and even loneliness of his subjects.”
James Bama (1926-2022), Untitled [Young girl at powwow holding Doritos bag], 1989, black-and-white photograph, 14 x 11”. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY. Gift of James Bama, 2007. MS 243 James Bama Collection, McCracken Research Library. P.243.49527.
The exhibition runs through August 4 in Cody. It will also run somewhat concurrently at the American Heritage Center (AHC) at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, through April 10.
For more information, visit www.centerofthewest.org. —
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