Steamboat Art Museum Features Western Artist E.W. “Bill” Gollings
Always an exciting month in Steamboat Springs, December has ushered in the winter sports season, record amounts of Champagne Powder and an incredible Western art exhibit at the Steamboat Art Museum (SAM) located on Lincoln Avenue. From December 7 through April 13, the SAM will be exhibiting the most comprehensive collection of oil paintings by E.W. “Bill” Gollings in existence today.Born in 1878, Gollings spent his childhood being shuffled between relatives’ homes throughout the United States but he fell in love with the West. As a young adult he worked herding sheep and cattle in Nebraska, South Dakota and Montana; experiences that would later shape his paintings and etchings. After attending the Art Institute of Chicago for several semesters, he settled in Sheridan, Wyoming where he would remain until his death in 1932.
Gollings’ oil paintings are most noted for their realistic portrayals of life in the Wild West and vibrant use of color. Although he experienced moderate success during his lifetime, his work wasn’t widely appreciated until after his death when approximately 182 finished and unfinished oil paintings were discovered in his studio. Today, his work is rarely available for purchase but can be viewed in various institutions such as the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and now at the Steamboat Art Museum.
The Gollings exhibit is currently on loan from the University of Wyoming Art Museum, allowing Steamboat residents and visitors a unique opportunity to view the works of one of the most revered Western artists of the 20th Century.
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