Robert Lougheed (May 27, 1910 – June 3, 1982) was a Canada-born
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
artist who has specialized in images of the
American West
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...
.
He was born and raised on a farm in
Massey, Ontario,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. He became an illustrator for mail-order catalogues and for the ''
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', but studied in his spare time at the
Ontario College of Art
Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...
and then at the
École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région ...
. He went to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
at the age of twenty-five as the pupil of Frank Vincent DuMond and Dean Cornwell at the
Art Students League
The Art Students League of New York is an art school at American Fine Arts Society, 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists ...
. However he continued to work as an illustrator for over 30 years and his work appeared in magazines such as ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
'' and ''
Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
''. Lougheed's work as a commercial artist included the
Mobil Oil
Mobil is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil. The brand was formerly owned and operated by an oil and gas corporation of the same name, which itself merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil in 1999.
...
logo of the red flying horse.
He explored the American West, particularly the old
Bell Ranch
The Bell Ranch is a historic ranch in Tucumcari, New Mexico, United States of America.
Location
Lying along La Cinta Creek near the Canadian River, the ranch is bordered by Conchas Lake in San Miguel County, New Mexico about 30 miles (97 ...
in New Mexico, and many of his paintings were inspired by the scenery and animals of the region. Consequently, in 1970, he was commissioned by the
United States Post Office Department
The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, in the form of a Cabinet department, officially from 1872 to 1971. It was headed by the postmas ...
to design the six-cent buffalo stamp for their Wildlife Conservation Series.
Lougheed illustrated
children's books
A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...
such as the horse novels ''Mustang'' and ''San Domingo'' by
Marguerite Henry
Marguerite Henry (' Breithaupt; April 13, 1902 – November 26, 1997) was an American writer of children's books, writing fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals. She won the Newbery Medal for ''King of the Wind'', a 19 ...
and ''The Bell Ranch As I Knew It'' by
George F. Ellis George Forbes Ellis was a cattleman, pioneer in the field of beef cattle production, and a published writer. Born in Portales, New Mexico, Portales, New Mexico Territory on May 11, 1903, he graduated from the Kansas State Agricultural College (now K ...
. He also illustrated books by Martha Downer Ellis, about the
Bell Ranch, NM
The Bell Ranch is a historic ranch in Tucumcari, New Mexico, United States of America.
Location
Lying along La Cinta Creek near the Canadian River, the ranch is bordered by Conchas Lake in San Miguel County, New Mexico about 30 miles (97& ...
including ''Bell Ranch Sketches'', ''Bell Ranch People and Places'' and ''Bell Ranch Recollections''. He won multiple awards at both the National Academy of Western Art and 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 ...
. Some of his work is in the
Cowboy Hall of Fame
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Ame ...
in
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
.
Robert Lougheed's interest in art extended to the founding of the National Academy of Art at the
National Cowboy Hall of Fame
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Ame ...
. He continued to serve as an advisor to the academy for many years. He also worked voluntarily as a teacher to many young painters. Outside of art, Lougheed was an avid tournament badminton player who won a number of regional and Connecticut state doubles titles.
In December 2007 the Lougheed Studio at Claggett/Rey Gallery opened in Vail, Colorado. The Studio is devoted to the life and legacy of Robert Lougheed. www.robertlougheed.com
In January 2010 A book was released called Robert Lougheed Follow the Sun. It Chronicles the life and career of this prolific artist.
See also
External links
*
National Museum of Wildlife Artof the United States
of the "Robert Lougheed Grand Prix de Wilderness" (Magma.ca, undated, archived 2007-01-04)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lougheed, Robert
20th-century Canadian painters
Canadian male painters
Artists of the American West
Artists from Ontario
Canadian children's book illustrators
ExxonMobil people
People from Sudbury District
1901 births
1982 deaths
École des beaux-arts de Montréal alumni
Canadian emigrants to the United States
Art Students League of New York alumni