Major Art Awards and Honors for Jim Wilcox Prix de West Award, Masters of the American West Award and more
Once a “starving artist” himself, Wilcox credits major awards from museum shows in part for creating a “starving collector base” who are always on the lookout for their next great Wilcox masterpiece.
In 1977, the Prix de West Show rejected one of Wilcox’s paintings from the exhibition, saying the paintings lacked a single subject.
Determined not to let that mistake happen twice, in 1987 Jim painted “Three Last Minutes of Glory,” a painting with an intentionally subdued foreground depicting Sheep Mountain (the Sleeping Indian) in a fiery ribbon of the sun’s last light.
Not only was it accepted in the show, it also won the top award, earning a permanent place in the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum’s fine art collection.
That night, Wilcox literally ran around Oklahoma City whooping with joy over his victory.
His career has never been the same since.
While it was one of his first major art awards, it certainly wasn’t his last. Over the past 30 years, Jim has amassed nearly 40 awards, each buoying up his career and reassuring collectors of the high value of the Wilcox paintings in their collection.
The Award Winners Fine Art Masterpieces by Jim Wilcox
“Cottonwood Creek Blaze”
36″ x 60″
1986 Merit Award from the Northwest Rendezvous of Art
“Three Last Minutes of Glory”
36″ x 60″
1987 Prix de West Award from the National Academy of Western Art
“Summer of the Red Sun”
18″ x 24″
1989 Merit Award from the Northwest Rendezvous of Art
“Fall Aspen at Willow Flats”
18″ x 24″
1990 Centennial Award from the National Arts for the Parks Show
“Receding Winter at Taggart Lake”
20″ x 30″
1990 Region III Award from the National Arts for the Parks Show
“A New Day”
20″ x 30″
1993 Region III Award from the National Arts for the Parks Show
“Eagle’s View”
24″ x 24″
1993 Grand Teton National Park Award at the National Arts for the Parks Show
“Home of the Beaver”
20″ x 30″
1994 $50,000 grand prize from the National Arts for the Parks Show
“Sparkle of Spring”
20″ x 30″
1996 Region III Award from the National Arts for the Parks Show
“Jewel of the Valley”
16″ x 20″
1996 Jurors’ Choice Award from the National Arts for the Parks Show
“Canyon Frosting”
30″ x 36″
2001 William Weiss Purchase Award from the Buffalo Bill Museum Art Show
“The Fifth Season”
48″ x 36″
2002 Frederic Remington Award from the Prix de West Show at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
“Hanging Canyon”
30″ x 24″
2003 Artists’ Choice Award from the Buffalo Bill Museum Art Show
“Winter Frosting”
30″ x 48″
2006 People’s Choice Award and
2006 Award of Merit from the Western Rendezvous of Art
“A Frosty Sunrise”
24″ x 30″
2006 Artists’ Choice Award from the Buffalo Bill Museum Art Show
“Reflections of a Perfect Day”
48″ x 72″
2007 Southwest Art Award at the Autry Museum’s Masters of the American West Show
“Fiery Farewell”
48″ x 36″
2007 Frederic Remington Award from the Prix de West Show at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
“Winter Glow”
24″ x 48″
2007 Award of Merit from the Western Rendezvous of Art
“Oxbow Abstract”
20″ x 30″
2011 Award of Merit from the Western Rendezvous of Art
“Moki Canyon Reflections”
48″ x 36″
2013 Masters of the American West Purchase Award – now in the Autry Museum’s permanent collection in Los Angeles, California
“Winter’s Final Fling”
24″ x 36″
2018 Award of Merit at the Brinton Museum’s Bighorn Rendezvous Art Show in Sheridan, Wyoming
Other Major Shows and Honors Gilcrease Museum retrospective, Wyoming Governor's Arts Award, etc.
- 2001: Gilcrease Museum featured 47 of Jim’s paintings in a career retrospective for four artists. Most of the paintings sold opening night.
- 2003 – The Jim Wilcox Award: The Best of the West Show named an award for helping to develop the next generation of artists in Jim’s honor. He was also the first recipient of the award.
- 2014: Wyoming Governor’s Arts Award, a career honor presented to artists dedicated to the arts in their communities and hand-selected by Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead.