Bill Nebeker (Amer., b. 1942), "Uncharted Waters", artist-cast bronze sculpture on wooden base, with incised signature, edition number 2/30, and date, 2010

height 15 in. x width 22.5 in. x depth 8 in. (including base)

Provenance: Property from the Estate of Robert A. "Bob" Funk Sr. - trailblazing American businessman, philanthropist, and rancher, from his impressive ranch headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Bill Nebeker is an Arizona sculptor known for highly detailed and historically accurate bronze sculptures of the American West, following the tradition of Charles Russell and Frederic Remington. Largely self-taught, he gained hands-on training in the 1960s while working at George Phippen’s Bear Paw Bronze foundry in Arizona, where he learned the technical side of casting. A full-time artist since 1976, he carefully researches Native American and cowboy subjects to portray them with dignity, authenticity, and subtle storytelling, often adding quiet humor to his work. Nebeker became a member of the Cowboy Artists of America in 1978 and has won major honors there, including Gold and Silver Sculpture Awards and the Kieckhefer Award for Best of Show, as well as the Phoenix Art Museum Purchase Award. His work has been featured in major exhibitions such as Prix de West, Masters of the American West, and Quest for the West, and he has completed important public monuments across Arizona. In 2009 he was named an Arizona Culturekeeper for his contributions to the state’s history and culture.