Title: Wilson Hurley (1924-2008), Grand Tetons, 1971
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 40 x 60
Frame dimensions: 49 3/8 x 69 1/8 x 3
Notes:

Wilson Hurley, one of the most celebrated Western landscape artists of the 20th century, was born in Tulsa, OK in 1924. Although he showed an early aptitude for art, he did not become a full-time artist until 1965, at the age of 41. After graduating from West Point in 1945, Hurley served as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps and Air Force during World War II, then moved on to successful careers in law, engineering, and banking.  

Hurley was already a successful artist by the time he had his first solo show in 1971, the year Grand Tetons was painted. As a landscape painter, Hurley was committed to capturing the richness of reality. Characterized by meticulous attention to light, color, and atmospheric effects, his works capture fleeting moments of natural beauty. The late summer sun in Grand Tetons illuminates the foreground foliage, drawing the viewer into the grand mountain vista, and acts as a reminder that summer in those mountains is brief but glorious. 

In 1984, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum awarded Hurley the prestigious Prix de West Award, and a few years later the Museum would commission what is widely regarded as Hurley’s magnum opus: the Windows to the West triptychs. Five triptychs, each measuring 18 by 45 feet, depicting iconic Western landscapes are on permanent display at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. 

The painting appears to be in very good condition. The painting has been examined under blacklight and does not show any indication of inpainting. The frame appears to be in good condition with a miter split at the lower left.

oil on canvas

signed and dated lower left: Wilson Hurley 1971