Beyond Our Walls

It is often said of our namesake, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, that he brought the West to the world. Continuing that legacy, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center shares its own extraordinary object collection, exhibitions, and expertise beyond our walls with a national—and indeed international—audience.

From the loan of a few artifacts to complete traveling exhibitions, curator lectures to full symposia, the Historical Center takes the Spirit of the American West on the road.

Our featured exhibition for “Beyond Our Walls” takes us to Great Falls, Montana.

Romance Maker: The Watercolors of Charles M. Russell

C.M. Russell Museum

Great Falls, Montana
June 15 – September 15, 2012

Following a four-month run at the Amon Carter Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas, the exhibition Romance Maker: The Watercolors of Charles M. Russell moved to Great Falls, Montana, and the C.M. Russell Museum. The exhibition included ten watercolors on loan from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.

Romance Maker opened in Great Falls on June 15 and ran through September 15.

The exhibition featured more than one hundred of the finest and best-preserved watercolors by cowboy artist Russell (1864 – 1926). According to the Amon Carter, never before have so many of these singular depictions of the Old West been brought together.

Russell’s advice to a fellow artist to “sinch your saddle on romance” defined his work, where vivid subjects culled from his own youthful experiences were fused with the power of his artistic imagination to create unforgettable images of the mythic American frontier.

Romance Maker: The Watercolors of Charles M. Russell was organized by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. The exhibition and publication are generously supported by BNSF Railway, the Sid Richardson Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Trevor Rees-Jones, the Erwin E. Smith Foundation, the Lakeside Foundation, and the Peters Family Art Foundation.

These four paintings, all watercolor on paper, were among the Historical Center’s loan for Romance Maker. Click each thumbnail for a larger view.

Images:

Charles M. Russell (1864 – 1926). Bronco Buster, 1903. 19.5 x 28.5 inches. Gift of William E. Weiss. 58.72

Charles M. Russell (1864 – 1926). Indian Women Moving Camp, 1898. 20 x 28 inches. Gift of William E. Weiss. 21.70

Charles M. Russell (1864 – 1926). Dangerous Ground, 1902. 10.375 x 14.5 inches. Gift of William E. Weiss. 22.70

Charles M. Russell (1864 – 1926). Roping a Grizzly, 1903. 19.5 x 28.5 inches. Gift of William E. Weiss. 19.73 

---

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center has shared many other objects and exhibitions with fellow institutions.

Click here for a glimpse of some our past collaborations.