A portrait of the late Harry Jackson.
Photo by: Chris Gimmeson | Photo courtesy of Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Harry Jackson (1924–2011) had only two interests as young boy: drawing and horses. In 1938 at the age of 14, he ran away from his home in Chicago to become a cattleman, creating a new home in his “spiritual birthplace” of Meeteetse, Wyoming.
From 1938 to 1942, Jackson traveled between Wyoming and Chicago to continue his studies at the Chicago Academy of Fine Art, becoming friends with fellow students and Wyoming neighbors Jesse Frost and Betty Phelps. But World War II would soon send Jackson on tours with the Marine Corps in the Central Pacific as a combat artist. Once the war ended, Jackson moved to New York City, where he worked closely with Jackson Pollock and many other Abstract Expressionist artists. During this period from the late 1940s to early 1950s, Jackson adopted aspects of the distinctive artistic style associated with abstract expressionism in his work; for example, during a short stay in Mexico, Jackson created a series of abstract collages featuring dripped and blotted paint. On a visit to Wyoming in 1952, Jackson turned his focus back to Realism and the American West. [1]
For the next few decades, Jackson incorporated the vibrant colors of Abstract Expressionism into a new medium—bronze sculptures. These colorful sculptures, as well as his realistic paintings and murals, often depicted western American subject matter such as men on bucking horses, stampeding longhorn cattle, and iconic figures such as Sacajawea and Chief Washakie of the Shoshone nation. This practice of painting bronze was unique to Jackson and garnered much attention around the world. The sculptures were so popular that today they can be found in the private collections of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the Saudi Arabian royal family, the Vatican and the Italian Federal Government. [2]
Even with global accolades and representation in several major art institutions, Jackson noted that he was “most proud to be collected in Wyoming where his art is in the Meeteetse Museum, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming State Museum, and several other public and private Wyoming collections.” [3] While visiting Cody, Jackson’s art can be enjoyed both at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and by appointment at the Harry Jackson Studio.
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