George Phippen (July 11, 1915 – April 13, 1966) was an American sculptor and painter from
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. He was the co-founder and first president of the
Cowboy Artists of America The Cowboy Artists of America (CAA) is an exclusive organization of artists that was founded in 1965. It was founded in 1965 by four prominent western artists, Joe Beeler, Charlie Dye, John Hampton and George Phippen, who have all since died. Since ...
. He is the namesake of the Phippen Museum in
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County.
In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona T ...
.
Early life
Phippen was born in 1915 in
Charles City, Iowa
Charles City is a city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Iowa. Charles City is a significant commercial and transportation center for the area. U.S. Routes 18 and 218, Iowa Highway 14, and the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railr ...
.
He grew up as a cowboy in Kansas,
and he received no formal art education.
When he was serving in World War II, he taught himself to paint. After the war, he briefly worked with artist
Henry Balink in
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
.
Career
Over the course of twenty years, Phippen did approximately 3,000 works in his brief career.
He was a
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
and painter in representational style of western genre, figures, horses and cattle.
His work included the bronze sculpture ''Cowboy in a Storm''.
Phippen was a member of the Mountain Artists Guild.
He was also a co-founder of the Cowboy Artists of America, and he served as its first president.
Personal life, death and legacy
Phippen married Louise Goble.
They had five children,
and they resided in
Skull Valley near
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County.
In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona T ...
.
Phippen died of cancer in 1966 in Skull Valley, at age 50.
The Phippen Museum was established in 1975.
His widow authored a book about him in 1983.
References
Further reading
*
External links
George Phippen on AskARTPhippen MuseumArtifacts List
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phippen, George
1915 births
1966 deaths
People from Charles City, Iowa
People from Yavapai County, Arizona
United States Army personnel of World War II
American male sculptors
20th-century American sculptors
20th-century American male artists
American male painters
20th-century American painters
Artists of the American West
Deaths from cancer in Arizona