Skip to main content

For the Love of Canines

October 22, 2022 - August 27, 2023

Exhibition open October 22, 2022 – August 27, 2023

Wild canines, including foxes, coyotes, and wolves, have held significant social and cultural meaning to humans worldwide throughout history. However, there are conflicted emotional opinions regarding these familiar predators.  Foxes, for example, while prized for their beauty and their cunningness, are despised for preying on smaller livestock and poultry, such as chickens and ducks. Coyotes, a canine species native to North America, nearly brought to extinction during western settlement, are also part of some Native cultures’ cosmologies. Sometimes considered a creator, Coyote might also be wicked or a buffoon. Of all wild canines, wolves have perhaps caused the most dread historically. Feared by ancient farmers to present day ranchers, wolves that at times prey on sheep, cattle, and other domestic animals, have also been known to kill humans. Alternatively, the famous Etruscan sculpture of La Lupa Capitolina (The Capitoline Wolf) from the fifth century BCE depicts a she-wolf caring for twins, Romulus and Remus, who founded city of Rome. Still, the one thing that all wild canines have common is a genetic relation to our own much beloved domestic dogs.

For the Love of Canines questions humans’ relation and fascination with canines, whether love or loathing, through works of art from NMWA’s permanent collection.

Carl Rungius (Germany, 1869 – 1959), Red Fox, 1933. Oil on canvas. 30 x 40 inches. Jackson Hole Preserve, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Estate of Carl Rungius.
Ken Carlson (United States, b. 1937), Wolf, 1988. Oil on board. 23 x 35 inches. JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Ken Carlson.
George Catlin (United States, 1796 – 1872), Buffalo Hunt, White Wolves Attacking, 1848. Hand-colored lithograph. 12 x 17 3/4 inches. JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
Robert Bateman (Canada, b. 1930), Mesa Verde – Coyote, 2004. Acrylic on panel. 24 x 36 inches. JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Robert Bateman.
William Gollings (United States, 1878 – 1932), The Call, 1910. Oil on canvas. 14 ½ x 10 ½ inches. JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
Frank Tenney Johnson (United States, 1874 – 1939), Coyote Moonrise, c. 1920. Oil on canvas. 30 x 40 inches. JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
Robert F. Kuhn (United States, 1920 – 2007), Sly Fox, 1990. Acrylic on board. 8 x 14 inches. Gift of Eliza and Tom Chrystie, National Museum of Wildlife Art Collection. © Estate of Robert F. Kuhn.
Terrance Guardipee (Blackfeet, b.1968), Black Wolf Society, 2020. Oil stick on antique ledger paper. 19 x 36 inches. Gift of the 2020 Blacktail Gala, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Terrance Guardipee.
Alfred Wierusz Kowalski (Poland, 1849 - 1915), A Pack of Wolves, n.d.. Oil on canvas. 36 1/2 x 48 5/8 inches. On Loan from William G. Kerr, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
Robert F. Kuhn (United States, 1920 – 2007), Desert Harmony. Acrylic on board. 16 x 32 inches. Gift of John and Saralynn Geraghty and the RSGBK Foundation, JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art Collection. © Estate of Robert F. Kuhn.
Other Exhibits
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

Staff Picks

Through May 10, 2026

Curating this exhibit has been an exercise in collaboration, which is one of our core values at the Museum. We began by asking each staff member to make a short list of some of their favorite works in the collection. Then, the curatorial team took them to see a few of those pieces. We asked the staff to look for artworks that were not already on display and would not be part of any upcoming exhibitions. A person’s taste in art is so uniquely personal and individual to who they are. This exhibition is not only an opportunity for you to get to know our staff, but it is also a chance to discover new pieces in the permanent collection—or perhaps to see old favorites in a new light.

See the Exhibit
  1. 1
  2. 2

State of the Art: Student Art Show in Honor of Marion Buchenroth

Through May 21, 2026

This youth art exhibit is an annual collaboration between the National Museum of Wildlife Art and art educators from Teton County schools. The several hundred works of art on display beautifully demonstrate how students grow as artists as they move through grades K-12. Each art educator and group of students interpreted the theme Connections in their own way. The diversity of media and artistic approaches showcases the creativity of our students and the quality of art education in Teton County.

See the Exhibit
What People Are Saying
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
"I have been to Europe multiple times—studied art in so many places—never saw anything so fantastic as this! Stunning and jaw-dropping, thank you!"
— Maggie A.
"Thank you for this glorious dedication to our "wild" life and human connection. Moving, emotional, and informative, with beauty within it all. "
— Lynne R.
"Architecturally stunning, thoughtful, interesting, educational, superb art and exhibits. A memorable experience. Thank you!"
— Susan B.
"I've never seen anything like this and I'm grateful to have stopped by. The extinct bird display nearly made me cry with the bird calls. Beautiful!!! "
— Marley S.
"This museum was so intimate and inspiring. As a former art teacher, the children's center made me want to have a classroom again!"
— Ellan M.
"Thank you for making this stop fun for my five kids. It kept them engaged, which allowed me to enjoy looking too!"
— Katie V.
"Super cool experience, I enjoyed the paintings and the thick paint textures! It made me feel like I was immersed in the natural environment!"
— Carmel G.
"BEST Museum I've ever been to! The hands on and special spaces for children were amazing and drew young people of all ages! Great job!"
— Judy G.