A contemporary realist working in the narrative painting traditions of Frederic Remington and
Charles Russell, Howard Terpning chronicles the history and stories of the American Plains
Indians with unusual insight and exceptional detail.
Born in Illinois, Terpning studied painting at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and
American Academy of Art. Initially receiving acclaim for paintings which appeared as covers on
Newsweek and Time magazines, the artist also created some of the most famous movie posters
ever painted including Dr. Zhivago and The Sound of Music. The focus of his imagery
changed when Terpning moved from the East Coast to Arizona in 1977 and the years since
have been devoted to his award-winning Western painting.
Known as the "Storyteller of the Native American," Terpning's accomplishments include
major awards won nearly every year since the beginning of his fine art career. He has won
eleven Gold and five Silver Awards from the Cowboy Artists of America as well as the Hubbard
Award, two Western Art Associates Best-in-Show Awards, five Colt Artists' Choice Awards and
a Stetson Artists' Choice. The National Academy of Western Art bestowed two awards as well
as their special Prix de West. "The Art of Howard Terpning" (1992) was honored by the National
Cowboy Hall of Fame with their award for Outstanding Art Book.
"The American Indian fascinates me...the cultures, artifacts, horses, the way they
looked...There's always another story waiting to be told about them, and I feel privileged to be
one of their storytellers."
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