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2. In 1947, Billy Schenck—who would become a foundational member of the Western pop art movement—was born in Two Guns, Arizona.  After attending Columbus College of Art and Design from 1965 to 1967 and receiving his BFA from Kansas City Art Institute in 1969, he moved to New York where he quickly became known for his cinematic imagery, flat realist style, and vivid colorist sense.  At the age of 24, his first solo show in New York sold out.

3. Schenck’s work takes a playful approach to the iconography of the American West, praising and poking fun at it in equal measure.  Drawing inspiration from the landscapes of his childhood, the conventions of the Western genre, and the philosophy of “pop,” Schenck quickly developed his vivid and recognizable style: hot, unblended colors sit side by side in big-sky landscapes; surreal juxtapositions, lone figures, and precise painterly compositions give his work narrative flair and immediate visual impact.

4. Since the mid-1970s, Billy Schenck has worked predominantly in the West, from Wyoming to New Mexico.  The artist currently resides in Santa Fe at the Double Standard Ranch, where new inspirations are readily available.  He has had over 100 solo shows, and his work is included in nearly fifty museums worldwide feature a painting collection of Billy Schenck.  Schenck has been the subject of four major retrospective shows, most recently "The West as it Never Was" at the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art. Visual Artist Billy Schenck's artworks may regularly be found in our biannual