Even when the summer temperatures get steamy outside the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, it looks downright chilly in Colorado artist John Encinias‘ award-winning landscape “On a Winter’s Day,” while a pair of swans even huddles near a snowy riverbank in Utah painter James Morgan‘s oil on linen work “White on White,” a new addition to the venerable Oklahoma City museum’s collection.
Elsewhere in the museum’s sprawling 2025 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale, Arizona sculptor Doug Hyde‘s bronze “Autumn Dancers” features a circle of Native American women heralding the coming of fall, Colorado outdoorsman Ralph Oberg‘s oil on linen depiction of a growing bison herd calls to mind “Spring’s Revival,” and California painter Daniel J. Keys‘ still life “Summertime” evokes the freshness of the present season. Plus, Oklahoma artist Paul Moore captures “When Red Dirt Flies” in his oil painting of a whirling tornado.
Every summer for 53 years, the National Cowboy Museum has brought together the top Western painters and sculptors working today to show their best work in the Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale.
Paintings by Colorado artist Thomas Blackshear II are on view in the 53rd annual Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. He has been participating in the Prix de West for five years. This year’s exhibit is on view through Aug. 3.
“This is our busiest season, the summer season. We see the bulk of our visitors during these months … and it’s certainly the busiest season for visitors from out of town,” said Seth Spillman, the museum’s chief marketing officer. “So, it’s an important show … and a major anchor for us, as far as exhibits go.”
On view through Aug. 3 at the OKC museum, this year’s Prix de West features more than 270 works of contemporary Western painting and sculpture by nearly 100 artists, from Texan Teresa Elliott’s luminous paintings of cattle and Colorado painter Thomas Blackshear II‘s stunningly realistic portraits to Seattle-based Lummi Nation glass artist Dan Friday‘s hand-sculpted hot-glass works to Arizona sculptor Bill Nebeker‘s bronze depictions of cowboys.
“You get to really understand how broad the spectrum of Western art is with this show,” Spillman said.
Sandy Scott’s bronze sculpture “Yonder is Jackson Hole” is on view in the 53rd annual Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale.
Who are the new and longest tenured artists in this year’s Prix de West exhibit?
Susan Roeder, board member and Prix de West Committee Chair for the National Cowboy Museum, called this year’s Prix de West an “extraordinary collection of paintings and sculptures.”
“Prix de West celebrates the rich artistic and cultural heritage of the American West,” she said in an email. “This event showcases the remarkable talent of artists who capture the spirit of the people, the majestic landscapes and diverse wildlife of the West.”
Several artists have been participating in the Prix de West almost as long as The Cowboy has been organizing it, Spillman said. In his 49th year with the show, New Mexico painter Walt Gonske, known for his colorful, abstract landscapes, is the longest tenured participant. But Colorado sculptor Gerald Balciar, Wyoming painter Jim Wilcox and Texas-based sculptor Kent Ullberg all have been showing their work in the Prix de West for more than 40 years, too.
Colorado artist Joshua Tobey’s bronze sculpture “Sixth Sense” is displayed in the 53rd annual Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. A second-generation sculptor, Tobey is making his Prix de West debut this year.
Prix de West first-timers this year include Sean Michael Chavez, a contemporary painter who hails from New Mexico; Tony Hochstetler, a Colorado-based “sculptor of unusual animals and botanical subjects;” Denis Milhomme, a landscape painter who grew up in Massachusetts but now lives in California; and Joshua Tobey, a second-generation sculptor from Colorado who specializes in wildlife bronzes.
“Part of the fun, for me anyway, is that, year after year, you get to know many of these artists, because a number of them come to the show year after year,” Spillman said. “But we want to be sure that we’re always looking for the best current artists. So, the committee is active in the Western art world, looking for new talent, and takes that job very seriously.”
James Morgan’s painting “White on White” is on view in the 53rd annual Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The Utah-based artist, who has been participating in the Prix de West for 34 years, received the Purchase Award for his oil on linen work. Morgan received a $5,000 award and the Prix de West medallion, along with the $18,000 purchase price for the piece.
Which artworks are among the big winners at this year’s 53rd annual Prix de West?
The Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale isn’t just important to the National Cowboy Museum from a curatorial standpoint. It’s also the Oklahoma City museum’s largest annual fundraiser, supporting additional exhibitions and educational programming.
This year’s Prix de West generated more than $3.2 million in art sales during its two-day annual June sales weekend alone, and remaining works are available for sale through the end of the exhibit’s run.
Each year, the Prix de West committee selects one exceptional work to purchase for the museum’s permanent collection, and this year’s Prix de West Purchase Award was presented to Morgan, the Utah-based artist, for his wintry oil on linen painting “White on White.” Morgan received a $5,000 award and the Prix de West medallion, in addition to the $18,000 purchase price for the piece.
Morgan, who has been participating in the prestigious OKC exhibit for 34 years, also received the $3,000 Robert Lougheed Memorial Award for the best display of three or more works, as chosen by his fellow Prix de West artists.
More than 270 original paintings and sculptures by 90-plus of the nation’s leading Western artists are on view in the 53rd annual Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
Other 2025 Prix de West award recipients include:
Jackie L. Coles Buyers’ Choice Award: Curt Walters, of Sedona, Arizona, for “Thunderous Resound: Plateau Point,” his oil on canvas painting depicting the Grand Canyon, which sold for $155,000. The $3,000 award is presented to the most popular work of art as voted on by attending patrons.
Major General and Mrs. Don D. Pittman Wildlife Award: Steve Kestrel, of Redstone Canyon, Colorado, for his bronze sculpture of a swimming otter titled “Over the Rainbow,” which sold for $6,000. Additional castings are available for purchase. The $3,000 prize recognizes exceptional artistic merit for a wildlife painting or sculpture.
Donald Teague Memorial Award: Joseph Bohler, of Monument, Colorado, for “Ancient Story Teller,” his transparent watercolor painting of a bird flying past a canyon inscribed with prehistoric drawings, which sold for $9,700. The $3,000 award is presented for an exceptional work of art on paper, in memory of Western illustrator and watercolorist Donald Teague.
Frederic Remington Painting Award: Huihan Liu, of Santa Rosa, California, for the oil on linen painting “Eagle’s Witness,” depicting a Native American standing on a pueblo building with an eagle soaring overhead, which sold for $29,500. Named for the Western art icon Frederic Remington, the $3,000 prize is given for exceptional artistic merit in a painting.
James Earle Fraser Sculpture Award: John Coleman, of Prescott, Arizona, for his monumental bronze “Victory! Plenty Coups,” his nearly 10-foot-tall representation of the Crow Nation Chief Plenty Coups (1848-1932) on horseback, which is priced at $198,000 and is available for purchase. The $3,000 award, named for famed sculptor James Earle Fraser, recognizes outstanding artistic merit in sculpture.
Express Ranches Great American Cowboy Award: Bruce R. Greene, of Clifton, Texas, for “The Horseman’s Loop,” his bronze sculpture of a cowboy wielding a lasso, which sold for $8,500. Additional castings are available. The $3,000 honor celebrates the finest portrayal of cowboy subject matter.
Wilson Hurley Memorial Award for Landscape: Encinias, of Denver, Colorado, for his snowy oil on linen painting “On a Winter’s Day,” which sold for $23,000. The $3,000 award honors exceptional artistic merit in a landscape painting and is named for the late, great Western landscape artist Wilson Hurley.
53rd annual Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Prix de West exhibit shows top Western art at OKC’s National Cowboy Museum
