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Bronze
Dimensions: 29 x 9 x 9
Gift of Lisa Pitsiri and the Pitsiri Family, 2007

The Artwork

This bronze sculpture depicts a cowboy wearing his hat. His face weathered alluding to the conditions he faced on the range. From his mustache to his deep set eyes, the artist created this partial bust in a manner that reveals the toughness of the American cowboy.

In addition to the sculpted form, Tasso Pitsiri created the pedestal base.

The Artist

A native of Patras, Greece, Tasso Pitsiri graduated from the Metsovion Politecnic Art Academy in Athens, Greece in the early 1960s. He worked as a professional musician in a number of European cities prior to moving to Enid, Oklahoma in 1967. Pitsiri was a founding member of the Oklahoma Sculpture Society. As a sculptor, he conducted numerous demonstration workshops in Oklahoma and the region and was commissioned to create public and private sculptures. In 1996, he was posthumously recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Oklahoma Sculpture Society.

He left his artistic mark on the Enid community with the statue commemorating the Tri-state Music Festival, Minuteman monument at Vance Air Force Base, Martin Luther King, Jr. Complex relief, and the lion heads at the Cherokee Strip Conference Center fountain. Other works include: Everynun statue at Oklahoma City's Mercy Hospital; farmer monument on the Courthouse Lawn in Kingfisher, Oklahoma; and the Spirit of Performance statue at the Library and History Museum located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. In addition to his talent in sculpture, Pitsiri was also an instructor of the Tang Soo Do martial art and a private pilot instructor.