On June 21, the world’s finest Western painters and sculptors gathered in Oklahoma City to celebrate the best of Western art at the “Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale” awards presentation and dinner. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has organized the event since 1973.
Painter James Morgan won the prestigious Prix de West Purchase Award—and a place in the museum’s permanent collection—for his oil painting “White on White.” He rendered on the snow-covered marshlands two swans, taking a well-earned break on their long migratory path.
Morgan spent most of his childhood exploring the fields and canyons around the family home in central Utah. He’s spent a lifetime keenly observing Utah’s nature, which he believes is the most important aspect of being an artist. “I am intrigued by the patterns and shapes found in nature and concentrate on the effects of light on these elements and the resulting array of colors in nature’s ever-changing moods,” he says on his website.
He now paints wildlife in Mendon City, northern Utah, known as the gateway to the Cache Valley. His sublime works reflect the subtle light of the ever-changing valley vistas and the myriad of wildlife that call it home, including moose, cougars and coyotes, and birds such as swans, pintails, and American avocets.
It’s Morgan’s 34th year exhibiting at the Prix de West. In his Prix de West Purchase Award acceptance speech, he said that the award was a “‘wonderful honor” and a “great recognition and validation” of his paintings. He thanked his wife, Ruth, for her support, adding: “This award is definitely a high watermark in my life, along with my two best creations: our two sons Cody and Andrew. … I am so proud to have my work hanging in that hallowed [Prix de West] gallery.”
Morgan’s painting joins the over 50 Prix de West Purchase Award-winning artworks that are displayed in the Robert & Grace Eldridge Gallery of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. (A virtual gallery tour is also available.)
A Selection of the Award-Winning Works
“Eagle’s Witness” by Huihan Liu. Oil on linen; 40 inches by 20 inches. Winner of the 2025 Frederic Remington Painting Award. Courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
“Victory! Plenty Coups” by John Coleman. Bronze; 9 feet, 9 inches by 5 feet by 3 feet. Winner of the 2025 James Earle Fraser Sculpture Award. Courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
“Over the Rainbow” by Steve Kestrel. Bronze; 2 1/2 inches by 37 inches by 9 inches. Winner of the 2025 Major General and Mrs. Don. D. Pittman Wildlife Award. Courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
“On a Winter’s Day” by John Encinias. Oil on linen; 36 inches by 36 inches. Winner of the 2025 Wilson Hurley Award for Outstanding Landscape. Courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
“The Horseman’s Loop” by Bruce R. Greene. Bronze; 23 inches by 8 inches by 8 inches. Winner of the 2025 Express Ranches Great American Cowboy Award. Courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
“Ancient Story Tellers” by Joseph Bohler. Transparent watercolor; 24 inches by 34 inches. Winner of the 2025 Donald Teague Memorial Award. Courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
“Thunderous Resound: Plateau Point” by Curt Walters. Oil on canvas; 50 inches by 60 inches. Winner of the 2025 Buyers’ Choice Award. Courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Time and again, the Prix de West preserves Western traditions and way of life far beyond the plains, prairies, and mountains—and hopefully for generations to come.
The “Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale” runs through Aug. 3, 2025, at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. For more information, visit PDW.NationalCowboyMuseum.org
What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to [email protected]
