A view of Grand Teton National Park at dusk. Photo by Toan Chu. 

Most of all, Wyoming is known as the “Gateway to the National Parks.” Some of nation’s greatest national parks and forests can be found within Wyoming’s boundaries—juggernauts like Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, as well as Devils Tower National Monument, Fossil Butte National Monument, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area and Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. These beloved parks hold some of our most cherished natural land, iconic sites like Grand Teton—the highest mountain in Grand Teton National Park—and Yellowstone’s Old Faithful, the geothermal geyser that sends super-heated water up to 100 feet in the air nearly every hour. There’s also the awe-inspiring “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,” a massive canyon on the Yellowstone River downstream from Yellowstone Falls. A majority of the 2.2 million acres that make up Yellowstone National Park can be explored in Wyoming. Throughout the park is a diverse range of North American wildlife like the grand American bison, Rocky Mountain wolves, black and grizzly bears, coyotes, mountain goats, elk and white-tailed deer. And that’s barely scratching the surface.

Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.   Photo by Austin Farrington.

The wilderness of Wyoming has inspired artists for centuries. Some of the biggest names in American art, like Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt, captured the state’s scenic landscapes and wild terrain. Esteemed wildlife painters like Carl Rungius were drawn to the bison, the elk, the moose and the bears. You’ll find Wyoming’s influences everywhere—in landscape and nature art, in depictions of cowboy and ranching life, and so much more. 

Interior view of Altamira Fine Art in Jackson, Wyoming.; Altamira Fine Art, With Pride, oil on panel, 48 x 30 in., by Kenneth Peloke.

Altamira Fine Art, located in downtown Jackson, Wyoming, is a leading fine art gallery representing works by top contemporary Western artists. “We offer an annual schedule of exhibitions, consultation and acquisition assistance,” explains owners Carrie Wild and Jason Williams, who own Gallery Wild in Jackson as well.

Altamira Fine Art, Drawin’ to a Dust Up, oil on panel, 24 x 29 in., by Ben Steele.

The gallery’s diverse selection of art is suitable for those who are just beginning their art collection as well as experienced collectors. Altamira offers fine art in a range of media, from oil and acrylic painting to contemporary glass and bronze. “Whether connecting with contours of Native American pottery or recalling a mountain memory within an abstract landscape, people who walk through our doors recognize the essential value of art in their lives,” says Wild and Williams.

Front view of Astoria Fine Art.

This summer and fall, the gallery will host a variety of shows offering collectors the opportunity to acquire artwork by some of the finest wildlife, Western, figurative and landscape artists working today. The July show schedule includes the following: Joshua Tobey Solo Show, July 1 through 10; Masters of Contemporary Wildlife, July 11 through 20; and Ed Kucera Solo Show, July 21 through 31.

Astoria Fine Art, Bighorn Sheep, oil, 22 x 15 in., by Ken Carlson.; Astoria Fine Art, Autumn Fisherman, oil, 24 x 36 in., by Brett James Smith.

Astoria’s show season will crescendo in September during the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival with a showcase featuring Ken Carlson, who has spent the past year painting Wyoming’s Big 10—a complete set of Wyoming’s 10 big game animals. For the first time in his career, Carlson will offer each painting in the set with its corresponding pencil study. With more than 80 Carlson works housed in the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s permanent collection, his show is one worthy of making the trip to Wyoming.

Exterior of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum.

Throughout the year, the museum hosts two nationally recognized Western art shows that paint a vivid picture of the American West. In March, the Western Spirit Juried Art Show brings together a diverse array of artists, both established and emerging, to infuse modern tales into the Western canvas.

Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Mister Twister, oil, 14 x 18 in., by Don Weller.; Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Lookin’ for Love, oil on canvas, 40 x 60 in., by Brent Flory.

Year around, the museum extends a warm invitation to all. During the Cheyenne Frontier Days celebration, special hours ensure ample opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in Western heritage. For those unable to make the journey, the museum’s online galleries offer a virtual gateway to its exhibitions, with artwork available for purchase during each show’s duration.

Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Lighting the Valley Floor, oil, 9 x 35 in., by Ty Barhaug. 

The Buffalo Bill Art Show & Saleis an annual invitational show for contemporary Western artists. Our 105 artists represent a wide variety of mediums, from oil and bronze to pastel and scratchboard. A wall sale of miniature artwork hangs inside the renowned Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, from Memorial Day through Labor Day. 

Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Skinny Water, oil, 16 x 20 in., by Jim Bortz. On view in the Scout’s Miniature Sale. 

These small works are also available to view and purchase online. Beginning in mid-August, the 43rd Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale gallery of works will open in anticipation of the banquet and live auction event on Friday, September 20. Collectors are welcome to attend in-person or register to bid by phone. New artists to the show this year include Stefan Savides and Tony Pro. A portion of all BBAS proceeds benefit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The museum is also hosting its Scout’s Miniature Sale.

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. 

Den Schofield, A Far Land, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in.; Den Schofield, The Pony Express, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in.

Schofield has painted the cowboy, and cowboy adjacent figures like the Pony Express riders, for many years. Much of his work is about creating historical context within each painting to help better tell a story. So, it makes sense that Schofield has a deep understanding of the Western frontier history and has traveled extensively through it. “Along the way, I attended various rendezvous and reenactment activities, perused all manner of museums and built my own respectable library on the subject of the Old West,” Schofield says, adding that the West has given him many reasons to create visually graphic and dynamic works of art.

Bob Kuhn (1920-2007), Distant Sounds, 2006, acrylic on board, 255⁄8 x 30 in. Estimate: $180/250,000; Martin Grelle, Winter Quest, 2000, oil on canvas, 42 x 52 in. Estimate: $150/250,000

A market leader in American art for more than 17 years, Jackson Hole Art Auction’s three annual sales offer a high standard of works across several genres, including wildlife, sporting, figurative, landscape, Western and Native American art by both classical masters and contemporary artists. The auction house’s annual September auction has been recognized as one of the premier art events in the country and is a signature event of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, attracting collectors from across the country and abroad. The auction house’s sales feature works from highly collected artists such as John Clymer, Howard Terpning, Bob Kuhn, Carl Rungius, Joseph Henry Sharp, Frederic Remington, John Nieto and Robert Bateman, among many others.

Carl Rungius (1869-1959), The Challenge, oil on canvas, 303⁄8 x 463⁄8 in. Estimate: $250/350,000

JHAA is partnered by Trailside Galleries, Gerald Peters Gallery and Sotheby’s veteran Kevin Doyle, who together, have more than 100 years of art experience and expertise. The showroom includes a retail gallery space featuring artist exhibitions, decorative art and private sale artwork. Auction, private sale and gallery exhibitions are displayed year-round in its permanent 15,000-square-foot building in downtown Jackson.

National Museum of Wildlife Art, What Bird Is That?, ca. 1993, oil on canvas, by Raymond Harris-Ching. JKM Collection, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Raymond Harris-Ching.

The National Museum of Wildlife Art, founded in 1987, is the world’s premier wildlife art museum holding more than 5,000 artworks representing wild animals from around the world. Featuring work by prominent artists like Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Thomas Moran, Bob Kuhn, John James Audubon and Carl Rungius, the museum’s unsurpassed permanent collection chronicles much of the history of wildlife in art, from 2500 B.C.E. to the present.

A view of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming. 

Built into a hillside overlooking the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the museum received the designation as the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States by order of Congress in 2008. Boasting a museum shop, interactive children’s gallery, Palate restaurant and outdoor Sculpture Trail, the museum is only two and a half miles north of the Town Square and two miles from the gateway of Grand Teton National Park.

National Museum of Wildlife Art, Chief, 1997, acrylic on canvas. 71 x 98 in., by Robert Bateman. Gift of Birgit and Robert Bateman, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Robert Bateman.

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A view of the show floor during a previous WDC Exhibit + Sale.

The Western Design Conference is the foremost exhibition and celebration of what is happening in the world of Western furniture, fashion, home and lifestyle accessories. The 32nd annual WDC Exhibit + Sale features one-of-a-kind works of museum-quality functional art alongside a couture fashion show, live auction and gala reception that brings together craftspeople, collectors, designers and the trade, all united with a passion for the West.

Western Design Conference Exhibit & Sale, furniture piece by Doug Nordberg. Nordberg Furniture, Cody, Wyoming; Western Design Conference Exhibit & Sale, Many Tears, Supaya Gray Wolfe, Sedona, Arizona.

This year, the Western Design Conference is proud to host 100 of the nation’s finest Western-influenced designers and artists, representing 25 states. Nearly $20,000 in cash will be awarded to handcrafted original works in leather, metal, accents, woodworking, jewelry and fashion. The energy generated by tourists, artists, local businesses and residents promises to make the Western Design Conference unforgettable for both exhibitors and attendees. This popular event takes no commissions and is a cornerstone of the 40th annual Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival. —