Few artists can capture the majesty and raw power of wild animals in vivid detail. Far fewer can leave a lasting legacy. Bob Kuhn did both. His love for wildlife and art inspired generations of artists, hunters, and anglers. Born in Buffalo, New York, Bob Kuhn attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where he studied design, anatomy, and life-drawing. For the next 30 years, he was one of the most popular wildlife illustrators in America before turning to easel painting full time in 1970. Kuhn traveled around the world to obtain inspiration and made countless trips to Africa, six trips to Alaska, and numerous forays into Canada and the American West.

Kuhn’s first love was perhaps African wildlife art, but in later years he concentrated on North American wildlife. Kuhn described wolves as "among the most animated and interesting of the wild creatures," though they are a rare subject in his oeuvre. In the charged stillness of Distant Sounds, the alertness of the subjects is palpable, from the focused gaze to the stance poised for action.

While animals were Kuhn’s vessel for expressing artistic ideas and social commentary, he chafed at the notion of painting pretty pictures. His signature style featured simple backgrounds with horizontal bands of color and light, a dynamic flow of his subject matter and a delight with playing mischievousness against mortal danger. He worked primarily in acrylic and was well known for his ability to paint the particular movements and personalities of wild animals. He mastered the illusion of motion, orchestrating the deadly contest between predator and prey. His works were true to life and authentic, yet he wasn’t a documentarian. Instead, he carefully wrought poetry from his paintbrush. He liked to say that good painting was like watching a good skier in action: “He doesn’t simply get from the top of the hill to the bottom. He hits the moguls, carves some beautiful turns, and throws in a lot of fancy stuff.”

There is inexplicable magic in a Kuhn painting. It never grows tired. With every viewing, there are new discoveries. He is considered by patrons and art historians alike to be the pre-eminent wildlife artist of his generation. It has often been said he was simply without peer.

Kuhn was a member of the Society of Animal Artists in New York, and his works are featured in permanent museum collections from coast to coast, including The John L. Wehle Gallery of Sporting Art at the Genesee Country Museum in Mumford, NY, The National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, OK, with the largest body of work on display at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, WY.