Wilson Hurley (Amer., 1924-2008), "Spring Snow in the Sandias", oil on canvas, signed lower left

sight: 24 x 40 in., frame: 34 x 51 in.

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

Wilson Hurley was a leading painter of the American West, best known for luminist landscapes of Canyon de Chelly, Yellowstone National Park, and the Grand Canyon. Although he initially pursued engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and later earned a law degree from George Washington University, his artistic education began informally in Santa Fe, where his mother arranged for him to study with artists Theodore Van Solen, Josef Bakos, and John Young-Hunter. After practicing law for fourteen years, Hurley became a full-time painter in 1965, developing a highly atmospheric style characterized by luminous light, expansive vistas, and a strong sense of place, while his firsthand knowledge of the Western landscape informed his celebrated depictions of national parks and desert country. He was elected to the National Academy of Western Art in 1972 and received the Prix de West Purchase Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1984; his work was exhibited at major institutions including the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Rockwell Museum, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, and Gilcrease Museum. Hurley also served as a judge for the inaugural Arts for the Parks exhibition in 1987 and created major public works, including the five large Windows of the West murals for the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and a 15-painting diorama series depicting Western sunsets and iconic landscapes.