Western American Art

With more than 900 paintings, sculptures and works on paper, one of the highlights of the Museum is the art of our own region, the American West. The collection features paintings by the adventurous explorer artists of the 19th century, including some of the earliest paintings of the Arizona Territory. At the turn of the century, Western art was popularized by the academically trained painters of the Taos Society of Artists working in Northern New Mexico. More recent artists continue to show an interest in the unique landscape of the American West, as well as the changing face of the so-called “New West.” Artists in this area include Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Remington, Ernest Blumenschein, Walter Ufer, Ernest Martin Hennings, Maynard Dixon, Georgia O’Keeffe, Bill Owen, and Chuck Forsman.

Left: Sweeping Clouds, Ed Mell, 1989. Oil on canvas. Collection of Phoenix Art Museum, Museum purchase with funds from anonymous donors. Center: Chain of Spires along the Gila River, John Mix Stanley, 1855. Oil on canvas. Collection of Phoenix Art Museum, Museum purchase. Right: The Sun Vow, Hermon Atkins MacNeil, 1899. Bronze. Collection of Phoenix Art Museum, Gift of Western Art Associate in honor of its 25th Anniversary.