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Oklahoma Cultural Treasure: Wilson Hurley

Wilson Hurley

Wilson Hurley is considered one of the most renowned landscape artists in the world. His works include the 15-panel permanent exhibition Windows of the West at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

Hurley was born in Tulsa in 1924. At a young age, Hurley?s family moved to New Mexico, where he spent part of his summers working in the studios of some of the finest artists in the area.

After graduating from West Point in 1945 and serving several years in the military, Hurley attended George Washington Law School, where he earned his degree in 1951. Hurley returned to New Mexico where he practiced law for 13 years.

In 1964, unfulfilled by the practice of law, Hurley closed his office and turned his full attention to painting. He painted for five years before he sold one of his works.

Hurley?s early paintings and drawings in the Philippines serve as a record of a wide range of interests, including ships, airplanes, and military engagements. His life amid New Mexico landscapes later inspired much of his professional work.

In 2002 Hurley was designated as the tenth Oklahoma Cultural Treasure. Hurley, who is also in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the Tulsa Historical Hall of Fame, lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife, Rosalyn ? also an accomplished artist ? until his death in 2008.