Remington & Russell, retold | Through January 9, 2016

Remington & Russell, Retold is a reconsidered pictorial survey of the exploration of the American West through the careers of Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell. The exhibition is as revealing about Sid W. Richardson, their collector, as it is of the two artists who created these works. Considering Richardson's collection, it would appear that he felt a kinship with the risk-takers who won the untamed West.

"'Bringing to life unforgettable characters and recalling significant events have always been fundamental tasks that the artistic imagination has addressed. In Remington & Russell, Retold, native peoples, explorers, mountain men, buffalo hunters and soldiers are participants in such events as the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Oregon Trail and the Indian Wars, presenting a visual narrative of the 19th-century American West via 38 paintings by the preeminent storytellers of the era, Frederic Remington (1861-1909) and Charles M. Russell (1864-1926)."
- Mary Burke, Sid Richardson Museum Director

Charles M. Russell | First Wagon Trail (First Wagon Tracks) | 1908 | Pencil, watercolor and gouache on paper
Charles M. Russell | First Wagon Trail (First Wagon Tracks) | 1908 | Pencil, watercolor and gouache on paper

During their lifetimes, Remington enjoyed a national reputation, while Russell had a loyal regional following. For both men, portraying the vitality, drama and romance of the vanishing Western frontier was important.

“The west that I knew is plowed under - My pictures are history and I hope people will always like to read them.”
- Charles M. Russell

“The West is no longer the West of picturesque and stirring events.Romance and adventure have been beaten down in the rush of civilization.”
- Frederic Remington


Remington & Russell, Retold exhibition poster
Remington & Russell, Retold | exhibition poster


Frederic Remington | The Courrier du Bois and the Savage | 1891 | Oil (black & white) on canvas
Frederic Remington | The Courrier du Bois and the Savage | 1891 | Oil (black & white) on canvas

Unfolding largely in chronological order, Remington & Russell, Retold spans 22 years of Remington’s career (from age 25 until his death at age 48) and 37 years of Russell’s career (age 21 - 58), bridging a combined period of the artists’ lives from 1885 to 1922.

Though they are joined in the public’s mind as being primarily responsible for creating America’s vision of the Western frontier, theirs was not a singular vision. For example, Russell’s interpretation of the conflict between American settlers and native peoples favors the Indian perspective, while early works by Remington regard the Indian as savage. Even their approaches to portraying the narrative are different:


Frederic Remington | The Riderless Horse | 1886 | Pencil, pen & ink, watercolor on paper
Frederic Remington | The Riderless Horse | 1886 | Pencil, pen & ink, watercolor on paper

“My pictures would drive the impressionist into hysterics but we must never lose sight of the fact that regular folks still like storytelling pictures.”
- Charles M. Russell

“Big art is a process of elimination. Cut down and out...What you want to do is to just create the thought – materialize the spirit of a thing...then your audience discovers the thing you held back....”
- Frederic Remington

Remington & Russell Retold is filled with stories of the American west that we still like to "read" today.

The Sid Richardson Museum is open daily (except for major holidays) and admission is always free. Special tours and programs are also available. The Museum is the legacy of the late oilman and philanthropist, Sid Williams Richardson.