Howard Terpning

Howard Terpning (born 1927 in Oak Park, Illinois) spent the first half of his career as one of Hollywood's most sought-after movie poster artists — with commissions for "Cleopatra," "The Sound of Music," and "Camelot" among his credits — before turning in the early 1980s to painting the Native cultures of the American West. Settling in Scottsdale, Arizona, he devoted himself to rigorous historical research and studio painting, producing works that focus with particular depth on the cultures of the Northern Plains — Lakota, Crow, and Blackfoot peoples — depicted in trade, ceremony, and daily life. His paintings combine academic realism with genuine cultural respect and a concern for historical accuracy that distinguishes them from more romanticized Western art. He has won more Prix de West awards at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum than any other artist and has been inducted into the Cowboy Artists of America. His work is shown at the Scottsdale Art Auction and represented by leading Western art galleries.