Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné
In 2020, the National Museum of Wildlife Art initiated the Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné, with a goal to document all of the acclaimed artist’s finished paintings. The Museum holds the largest collection of work by Rungius in the United States and he plays a key part in Museum exhibits and programs.
This project will culminate in an online digital resource of interest to anyone wishing to investigate Rungius’s life and work. A major touring exhibit and masterworks publication are also in the planning stages.
The first 100 records of the Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné are online now! Click here to explore the Catalogue Raisonné.
Five years into the Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné project, Raisonné Director Adam Duncan Harris, Ph.D., and Research Associate Melissa Speidel have catalogued more than 765 completed oil paintings by Rungius!
Harris is actively looking for Rungius pieces to add to the growing database. “While we do have a significant number of Rungius’s works catalogued, I know there are more out there,” he says. “We have some records that only have a black and white image and little else. The hard part is finding additional information on each painting’s history. Where did the paintings go after they left Rungius’s easel? Where are they now?”
The first 100 database records, corresponding to early works that Rungius copyrighted himself, were made available to the public in early summer of 2025. “These are a taste of things to come,” Harris says. “You’ll see examples of very full records—where the painting is now, how many exhibits it’s been in, where it was first published—and others that are less robust, maybe all that exists is the copyright information and a black-and-white photo. Taken together, it’ll give you a sense of some of the mysteries we’ve been able to solve and some of the ones we’re still working on.”
We are currently accepting submissions for works for possible inclusion in the catalogue raisonné. To submit a work for consideration, please email Dr. Adam Duncan Harris at cr@wildlifeart.org.
The Catalogue Raisonné project is generously sponsored by The Thomas and Elizabeth Grainger Family Charitable Fund and the Robert S. and Grayce B. Kerr Foundation.
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The National Museum of Wildlife Art holds the largest collection of Rungius’s work in the United States.
Carl Rungius, In His Prime, c. 1940. JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Estate of Carl Rungius.
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The National Museum of Wildlife Art holds the largest collection of Rungius’s work in the United States.
Carl Rungius, The Rivals, c. 1925. JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Estate of Carl Rungius.
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The National Museum of Wildlife Art holds the largest collection of Rungius’s work in the United States.
Carl Rungius, American Black Bear, 1929. Gift of Jackson Hole Preserve, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Estate of Carl Rungius.
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Announcing Dr. Adam Duncan Harris as the Grainger/Kerr Director of the Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné
Announcing Dr. Adam Duncan Harris as the Grainger/Kerr Director of the Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné
Read full Press ReleaseLearn More About Carl Rungius
Carl Rungius is widely regarded as North America’s premier wildlife painter. Working primarily in the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming and Alberta, Canada he spent every summer painting and sketching in the high country
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