American Museum of Western Art-The Anschutz Collection

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American Museum of Western Art-The Anschutz Collection

The American Museum of Western Art – The Anschutz Collection is an art museum in Denver, CO

The artwork on view at the American Museum of Western Art represents a cross section of paintings that survey the art of the American West from the early 19th century through the age of industrialization. During the relatively short period of history illustrated by this collection, the West was transformed from Indian territory unknown to most inhabitants of the eastern United States into a settled region. Within only 90 years after the Louisiana Purchase, the “Old West” of Indian buffalo hunters, mountain men, pioneers, gold-seekers, and open-range cowboys had passed into history. Prior to its installation in the Navarre building in 1999, selections from The Anschutz Collection were widely exhibited throughout the United States and were also shown in Canada (Calgary), in Europe (Helsinki, Brussels, Munich, London, Paris, and Vienna), in the People’s Republic of China (Beijing and Shanghai), and in the former Soviet Union (Moscow, Novosibirsk, Tbilisi, and Leningrad). In addition to extensive exhibitions across the United States and abroad, 110 paintings from the Collection were exhibited at the Denver Art Museum in 2000 under the title “Painters and the American West”. While paintings from The Anschutz Collection have on occasion been loaned to other institutions for exhibition, the Collection remained private and unavailable for public viewing until 2010 when the American Museum of Western Art was founded as its permanent home. The Anschutz Collection surveys the history of the development of American Art as it pertains to the West and provides examples from all of the schools that contributed to that development.

09/13/2026

There are still a few tickets left for September’s Artful Insight on artist, Peter Hurd! Hurd was an American painter renowned for his depictions of the people and landscapes of New Mexico. Hurd was born in Roswell, New Mexico but left to attend West Point in 1921. He withdrew after two years to pursue art, studying under N.C. Wyeth in Pennsylvania and later at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He married Wyeth’s daughter, and fellow artist, Henriette, in 1929. Together they settled in New Mexico where they lived from the 1930s onward. He was a war correspondent and portrait painter, but New Mexico was a consistent source of inspiration for Hurd, often capturing the region’s arid scenery and rural life. Tickets are $10 at https://anschutzcollection.org/product/artful-insights-peter-hurd-09-14-2026
Peter Hurd, “Toward a New World”, 1942

09/08/2026

The new season of Writing the West starts on Wednesday, September 9th, from 2 to 4 pm. Each session will explore a different literary theme. September’s theme is “Cattle Drive”.
Writers from across Colorado—both aspiring and established—are invited to join the monthly writing working combining art history, storytelling, and participants’ creative voices. Explore the Museum’s galleries, stopping to learn about specific paintings relevant to each month’s theme. After spending time with the paintings, participants will be given a writing prompt by Writing the West instructor, Dan Manzanares.Sign up for one session, or all the sessions ($5 per session) https://anschutzcollection.org/programs/writing-the-west-at-amwa.

09/07/2026

AMWA is closed on Monday, September 7th for Labor Day. The Museum will reopen for our regular hours on Wednesday, September 9th.
Thomas Hart Benton, “Wheat Threshing on the High Plains”, 1969 (cropped) ❤️ ☀️

09/06/2026

Today is National Read a Book Day, a fitting time to remind everyone about this week’s Westbound Book Club discussion. Participants will meet to discuss The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi on Tuesday, September 8 from 10:30 am to noon. Tickets are only $5, but must be purchased in advance because space is limited. https://anschutzcollection.org/product/westbound-book-club-the-water-knife-by-paolo-bacigalupi-09-08-2026

09/03/2026

We had the pleasure of hosting members of the Blackfeet Nation today at AMWA. They were particularly interested in seeing the portraits Winold Reiss did of people on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana between 1920 and 1948. Over his lifetime, Reiss created more than 250 Native American portraits, with a primary focus on the Blackfeet. AMWA has more than 40 of these paintings, most of which are in storage. The Great Northern Railway commissioned or purchased many of Reiss's pastel and mixed-media portraits to advertise its tours and resorts in Glacier National Park.
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Winold Reiss, "Plume", ca. 1929

09/01/2026

This time of year always reminds us of September—caught somewhere between summer and autumn.
Joseph A. Fleck, “Indian Autumn”, 1925

08/28/2026

Don’t miss September’s Artful Insight on artist, Peter Hurd! Hurd was an American painter renowned for his depictions of the people and landscapes of New Mexico. Hurd was born in Roswell, New Mexico but left to attend West Point in 1921. He withdrew after two years to pursue art, studying under N.C. Wyeth in Pennsylvania and later at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He married Wyeth’s daughter, and fellow artist, Henriette, in 1929. Together they settled in New Mexico where they lived from the 1930s onward. He was a war correspondent and portrait painter, but New Mexico was a consistent source of inspiration for Hurd, often capturing the region’s arid scenery and rural life. Tickets are $10 at https://anschutzcollection.org/product/artful-insights-peter-hurd-09-14-2026
Peter Hurd, “Toward a New World”, 1942

08/26/2026

Today is National Dog Day so AMWA is celebrating some of the canines in the collection. There are more than 30 paintings on display depicting dogs. These are a few of the staff's favorites.
Gerald Delano, “Going to the Sing”, 1941 (cropped)
Emanuel Leutze, “Indians Attacking a Wagon Train”, 1863 (cropped)
R. Brownell McGrew, “Going On a Visit”, 1967 (cropped)

08/25/2026

Westbound Book Club — The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 10:30 am, $5
Pre-registration is required and will be limited to 15 guests.
https://anschutzcollection.org/product/westbound-book-club-the-water-knife-by-paolo-bacigalupi-09-08-2026

08/21/2026

A little reminder as students and teachers head back to school—AMWA offers FREE onsite field trips for 3rd-grade to university-level students. Education specialists will work directly with teachers to customize tours, activities, and related classroom lessons. Field trips are booked on Tuesdays and Thursdays year-round. Free bus parking and transportation reimbursement is available. For more information visit anschutzcollection.org/school-tours

Address

1727 Tremont Place
Denver, CO
80202

Telephone

+13032932000

Website

http://www.anschutzcollection.org/

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