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POP! Goes the West

Pop! Goes the West

Special exhibition now open through January 25, 2026, at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Pop Art meets the West

Explore the compelling intersections between popular culture and the American West through the Whitney Western Art Museum’s newest exhibition, POP! Goes the West, now open through January 25, 2026. Surround yourself with the iconic work of Andy Warhol and other artists who combine the styles and attitudes of the Pop Art movement with western subject matter.

POP! features eye-catching artwork with bright colors and bold designs. Artists depict a West that is both familiar and unexpected, filled with Indians and cowgirls, wildlife and highways, horses and pickup trucks, cell phones and tourists, along with lariats, guns, geysers, and more. By poking at stereotypes and weaving personal stories into histories, Pop artists reveal more complex–and realistic depictions–of the Old and New West.

Join multimedia journalist Olivia Weitz for a conversation with Susan Barnett, the Margaret and Dick Scarlett Curator of Western American Art at the Whitney Western Art Museum, and Ashlea Espinal, Assistant Curator, as they explore the new exhibition Pop Goes the West, at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Susan and Ashlea discuss the vibrant intersection of pop art and the American West, drawing inspiration in part from Andy Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians series. The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the evolving meaning of the West in contemporary culture. Click below to listen to the full interview.

Susan Barnett, the Margaret and Dick Scarlett Curator of Western American Art at the Whitney Western Art Museum
Susan Barnett, the Margaret and Dick Scarlett Curator of Western American Art at the Whitney Western Art Museum
Anne Coe (American, b. 1949), At the End of Her Rope, 1992. Acrylic on canvas, 50.5 x 50.5 inches. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming. Gift of the artist and Mr. and Mrs. W.D. Weiss. 2.93.1
Anne Coe (American, b. 1949), "At the End of Her Rope," 1992. Acrylic on canvas, 50.5 x 50.5 inches. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming. Gift of the artist and Mr. and Mrs. W.D. Weiss. 2.93.1
Gordon McConnell (American, b. 1950), Kid Grid, 2022. Acrylic on canvas, 75 x 75 inches. Loan from Artist. Photo by Todd Forsgren.
Gordon McConnell (American, b. 1950), Kid Grid, 2022. Acrylic on canvas, 75 x 75 inches. Loan from Artist. Photo by Todd Forsgren.
Tracy Stuckey, Marlboro Woman, 2022. Oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches. Courtesy of Visions West Contemporary and the Artist.
Tracy Stuckey, Marlboro Woman, 2022. Oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches. Courtesy of Visions West Contemporary and the Artist.

The exhibition highlights dynamic artworks from the past five decades while revealing the influences of historical art, pop culture, and media.

Selections of proto-Pop objects from the Buffalo Bill Museum’s collection demonstrate the longstanding relationship between consumer culture and western art. And hands-on activities invite visitors of all ages to think, play, and engage physically with the exhibition themes. POP! promises fresh perspectives, offers a wide range of interpretations of the West in art, and celebrates western art as a vibrant genre.

A sampling of artworks from the show

Bill Schenck (American, b. 1947), A Flight from Destiny, 1994. Oil on canvas, 47.375 x 62.375 inches. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming. Gift of The Alexander Bodini Foundation, in memory of Alexander Bodini. 1.95
Willem Volkersz (Dutch-born, 1939), Dreaming the West, 2019. Mixed media, 81.5 x 102.5 x 6 inches. Loan from Artist.
George Gogas (American, b. 1929), Judith Basin Encounter: When Charlie and Pablo had a Bad Day on the Freeway, 1996. Acrylic on canvas, 32 x 59 inches. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming. Anonymous Gift. 15.98
Thom Ross (American, b. 1952), Hickok and Cody, 1998. Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60 inches. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. W.D. Weiss. 12.98.2
Robert Seabeck (American, b.1945), Fall Scene, 1979. Oil on canvas, 30 x 72 inches. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming. Gift of Anonymous Donor. 6.79
Willem Volkersz (Dutch-born, 1939), Yellowstone Wildlife, 2008. Mixed media, 73 x 47 x 9 inches. Loan from Artist.
Tracy Stuckey, The Cowboy, 2023. Oil on canvas, 84 x 45 inches. Courtesy of Visions West Contemporary and the Artist.
Gordon McConnell (American, b. 1950), Once Upon a Time, 2020. Acrylic and gesso on ARTFORUM pages, 21.25 x 21.25 inches. Loan from Artist.
Larry Pirnie (American, b. 1940), Lookin' for the Whatjamajigger, 1996. Mixed media on wood, 34.75 x 48 inches. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming. Gift of Miriam and Joe Sample. 16.97.1
Gordon McConnell (American, b. 1950), Kid Grid, 2022. Acrylic on canvas, 75 x 75 inches. Loan from Artist. (detail)
Bentley Spang's "War Shirt"
THANKS TO

Diane Collection — Frère Family • Reid Schell — Handle With Care
Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund • Anne & Charles Duncan Special Exhibition Gallery Endowment