KIm Wiggins
Kim Douglas Wiggins stands as one of the most visionary voices in contemporary Western art, redefining how the American West is seen, felt, and remembered. Raised on a ranch in southern New Mexico, Wiggins was discovered as a young prodigy at just twelve years old, beginning a lifelong journey that would challenge tradition and help ignite the New West Movement.
Deeply influenced by the rugged landscapes, cultures, and histories of the Southwest, Wiggins creates work that pulses with bold color, dramatic light, movement, and symbolism. His paintings merge the spirit of the Old West with a modern artistic language rooted in Impressionism, Expressionism, and Modernism. Though largely self-taught, he refined his vision through the mentorship of legendary artists including Henriette Wyeth and Alexandre Hogue, while studying the great European masters during his military service abroad.
Throughout his career, Wiggins has developed acclaimed historical and thematic series exploring subjects such as the Lewis & Clark expedition, the Goodnight-Loving Trail, historic Western conflicts, and the cultural crossroads of Santa Fe. His monumental California history series for the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles remains a prominent backdrop for major televised events, including the Grammy Awards.
Western Art Collector Magazine with Wiggins' painting, Stampede 1866, on the cover.
Today, Wiggins’ unmistakable style is recognized across the country for its emotional intensity and fearless originality. His work does more than depict the West—it breathes new life into it. Through powerful historical narratives, layered symbolism, and sweeping compositions, he invites viewers to look beyond nostalgia and confront deeper truths about heritage, faith, conflict, and identity.
His paintings have been exhibited in many of America’s premier museums and exhibitions, including the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Prix de West, the Autry Museum’s Masters of the American West, the Denver Art Museum, de Young Museum, Booth Western Art Museum, Briscoe Western Art Museum, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Major works reside in distinguished collections across the nation, including the American Museum of Western Art, the Autry Museum of the American West, Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, and Tulane University.
A passionate advocate for the future of Western art, Wiggins is also a sought-after speaker who encourages innovation and cultural storytelling within the genre. Whether portraying the drama of the Goodnight-Loving Trail, the clash of cultures on the Santa Fe Plaza, or the epic struggles that shaped the frontier, Wiggins approaches each canvas with the soul of a storyteller and the heart of a historian. His mission has always extended beyond painting: to inspire a new generation to rediscover the enduring spirit of the American West through a bold and passionate new visual language.
“The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world. ”
SELECTED AWARDS & ACCOLADES:
2026: Ann Noble Brown Prix de West Purchase Award. (The Foremost Recognition in Western Art), Prix de West 2026 Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK. (How the West was Won - Chisum at Castle Gap, Oil, 60 x 48 in).
2022: The Briscoe Museum Purchase Award. Night of Artists Exhibition & Sale, Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio, TX. (Last Tally at the Bosque Grande, Oil, 40 x 60 in).
2020: The Stories of the West Award, Gold Medal for Best Narrative. Masters of the American West Art Exhibition & Sale, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, CA. (Fleeing Hell’s Fury - Range Fire, Oil, 48 x 60 in).
2018: The William B. Travis Award for Patron’s Choice. Night of Artists Exhibition & Sale, Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio, TX. (The Texians, Oil, 30 x 40 in).
2014: The Heritage Award, for passionate innovation and contribution to the arts. New Mexico Historical Society, Roswell, NM.
2005: Jackie Autry Special Purchase. Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition & Sale, Museum of the American West, Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA. (Lewis & Clark Among the Mandan, Oil, 84 x 108 in).
2000: Patron’s Choice - Most Inspiring to Youth. Painters and the American West, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO. (Merging Cultures on the Santa Fe Plaza, 60 x 84 in).
“It’s easy in the world, to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
Kim Wiggins’ ground-breaking presentation on The Iconic West delivered at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK, June 12, 2026. This talk communicates the very soul of Wiggins’ passionate work as a Western Modernist. A look into The Modern West or New West Movement and the unparalleled importance of Western art as it relates to American society and the art of ancient cultures.
“You use a mirror to see your face; you use art to see your soul. ”
Kim Wiggins with Jackie Autry at the Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, 2013.
WIGGINS HAS EXHIBITED WITH:
American Museum of Western Art
Autry Museum of the American West
Booth Western Art Museum
Briscoe Western Art Museum
C. M. Russell Museum
Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Denver Art Museum
LA Art Show
Masters of the American West
M. H. de Young Memorial Museum
Museum of New Mexico
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Museum of Wildlife Art
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Prix de West
Roswell Museum & Art Center
The Anschutz Collection
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Joslyn Art Museum
The Other Side of the West (OSW)
The Society of American Impressionists (SAI)
“Western art will one day be recognized as the defining hallmark of American society.”
Kim Wiggins in the studio with his award winning painting, The Texians, Oil, 30 x 40. This painting won the William B. Travis Award for Patrons' Choice at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio, TX, 2018.
“Kim Wiggins is highly skilled as a painter: imaginative, creative and blessed with a unique
style. He is one of the very few young artists who have emerged in the past
decade whose paintings and appeal will have long-term staying power. ”
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:
-Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, CA. (The Day Josie Chesser Died, Oil, 48 x 36; Lewis & Clark Among the Mandan, Oil, 84 x 108 in).
-American Museum of Western Art, Denver, CO. (Merging Cultures on the Santa Fe Plaza, Oil, 60 x 84 in; Down on the Santa Fe Plaza, Oil, 48 x 60 in).
-Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA. (Eve of St. Francis - Ranchos de Taos, Oil, 60 x 76 in).
-Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio, TX. (Fiesta Day on the Plaza, Oil, 36 x 48 in; Colonel Crockett’s Return from Cibolo Creek, Oil, 36 x 48; Frank Chisum - Wild West Icon, Oil, 60 x 40 in; Last Tally at Bosque Grande - 1867, Oil, 40 x 60 in).
-Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA. The California Series, 9 paintings and 1 mural depicting the history of California. (Nighttime in the San Fernando Valley, Oil, 48 x 60; Sunrise in the Vineyards of California, Oil, 48 x 60; One Summer Night in L.A., Oil, 36 x 48; City of Angels, Oil, 30 x 40; Life at Figueroa and 11th, Oil, 30 x 40; California Before, Oil, 40 x 30; Angelinos in a Promised Land, Oil, 36 x 48; The Hills of California, Oil, 84 x 60; Back on the Road Again, Oil, 30 x 40 in).
-Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, Fort Worth, TX. (Fleeing Hell’s Fury - Range Fire, Oil, 48 x 60 in).
-Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe, NM. (My Ethereal World, Oil, 60 x 48 in).
-National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). (The Price of Cotton, Oil, 36 x 50; The Finger of God, Oil, 36 x 50; In the Midst of God, Oil, 36 x 50; Homecoming Reunion, Oil, 36 x 50).
-National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK. (How the West was Won - Chisum at Castle Gap, Oil, 60 x 48 in).
-Roswell Museum & Art Center, Roswell, NM. (Cattle Kings of the Pecos, Oil, 72 x 96 in).
-The Anschutz Collection, Denver, CO. (The Departure of Don Wray, Oil, 60 x 84 in).
-The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, St. Petersburg, FL. (Orchard near Tesuque, Oil, 30 x 40 in).
-Tulane University, New Orleans, LA. (Lewis & Clark Meet Cameahwait, Oil, 60 x 76 in).
Kim Wiggins standing in front of the Denver Art Museum at the Painters and the American West Exhibition, 2000. His painting, Merging Cultures on the Santa Fe Plaza, is featured in the background representing the "Unexpected" in Western art.
“My business is to paint what I see, not what I know is there. ”