Rembrandt Bugatti (Italy, 1885 – 1916), Eland, 1910. Bronze. 19 1/2 x 21 1/2 x 10 inches. JKM Collection, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
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Sir Edwin H. Landseer (United Kingdom, 1802 – 1873), The Deer Pass, 1852. 37 1/2 x 83 inches. JKM Collection, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
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Edward Kemeys (United States, 1843 – 1907), Wolf at Bay, 1870. Bronze. 13 x 20 1/2 x 12 inches.National Museum of Wildlife Art.
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Emil Carlsen (Denmark, 1853 – 1932), Still Life with Swan, c. 1894. Watercolor and Gouache on Board. 17 3/4 x 28 inches. JKM Collection, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
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Rosa Bonheur (France, 1822 – 1899), Chamois Mother and Baby, 1888. Oil on Canvas. 10 1/4 x 13 ¼ inches. Gift of the 2003 Collectors Circle, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
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America's Official Shrine For Wildlife Art

The National Museum of Wildlife Art Grew Out Of Bill and Joffa Kerr's Dream: See The International Collection

Written By Todd Wilkinson (Author's Bio)

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A willowy gently giant, at six foot seven, towers over the
crowd as he and Joffa, his wife of more than half a century, mix with international art patrons at the National Museum of Wildlife Art's Western Visions Exhibition held every September.

One gets the impression that William G. Kerr would gladly shrink himself down to Lilliputian dimensions, if it would ensure the imagery on the walls and the repose of a still-evolving dream around him were the first things summoning the visitor's eye.

Nearly a quarter century ago, Kerr set out on a stroll here in downtown Jackson, Wyoming.  Rounding the signature elk antler archways adorning the quaint village square, he stopped discreetly in front of an old office space.

Pondering it, he was uncertain where the journey was leading, yet he followed a genetic gut instinct that told him others, too, shared his passion.

It would be that office, modestly in the beginning, where the Kerr's trove of paintings and sculpture first went on public display.  At the time, it was a corpus that few denizens of the Tetons knew the couple had, but then again, most inhabitants of the affluent lifestyle community had little inkling of who Bill and Joffa Kerr were, considering their inconspicuous nature.


"You look at the art business and all you hear from some is self-boasting to draw attention to themselves for how they landed this piece or that as a trophy.  But Bill and Joffa just...

Additional Article Information:

· Article is 5,174 words long (250 are displayed in this preview).

Author: Todd Wilkinson

Editor's Comments:

'Not long ago, the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming was declared by the United States Congress to be the official wildlife art museum in America. This is the genesis story about how the museum came into being.  And it is a tale about how one couple, William and Joffa Kerr believe in the power of art to inspire the masses. Mr Kerr, the son of a legendary oil wildcatter who went on to become a powerful western governor and "the lion of the United States Senate" has been a major catalyst in growing appreciation for nature art in the U.S. In this profile, readers can see elements of the museum's international collection, with works by Landseer, Emil Carlsen, Bierstadt, Goya, Bonheur, Kuhnert, Rungius, Bugatti, Kemeys, N.C. Wyeth, Mantynen, Herzog, Furet, and contemporary artists such as Ullberg, Bunn, Dashwood, Balciar, and Brenders.
'

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