From the press release: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has announced that acclaimed Arizona-based artist Curt Walters was awarded the prestigious Jackie L. Coles Buyers’ Choice Award for his captivating oil painting, Thunderous Resound: Plateau Point, at the 2025 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale. Measuring 50˝ x 60˝, this significant piece was the largest painting featured in this year’s show.
Receiving the Buyers’ Choice Award is a testament to the profound connection Walters’ work forged with the Western art collectors and art enthusiasts. The Museum welcomed 1,200 attendees, followed by an awards banquet where Susan Roeder, the Prix de West Committee Chair, presented Curt with his award.
This marks Walters’ twenty-eighth year participating in the Prix de West, and his ninth time winning the Buyers’ Choice Award. He has also been honored with the Fredrick Remington Award three times for Best Painting and the coveted Prix de West Purchase Award in 2007 for his oil painting Spring’s Caprice, which is now part of the museum’s permanent collection.
Curt Walters’ unparalleled ability to capture the raw power and majestic beauty of the Western landscape is widely recognized. This award is a well-deserved acknowledgment of his immense talent and dedication to his craft. Throughout his distinguished career, he has received critical acclaim, and his work is held in numerous international private and public collections.
Walters is celebrated for his masterful landscapes, particularly his epic and iconic depictions of the Grand Canyon. Maggie DeDecker Rey of Claggett Rey Galleries declared, “His passions and perseverance leave an imprint of a genuine master artist.” Walters’ deep understanding of light, atmosphere, and geology has come from working on location, outdoors, since he started painting. This allows him to create paintings that transport viewers directly into the heart of the American West. Well-respected art dealer Nedra Matteucci, of Matteucci Galleries in Santa Fe, said, “You can’t think of Grand Canyon without thinking of Curt Walters.”
Thunderous Resound: Plateau Point exemplifies Walters’ signature style, showcasing a dramatic and evocative scene that resonated deeply with attendees.
Curt Walters’ home and studio have been in Sedona, Arizona, since 1979.
The exhibit featured over 270 original paintings and sculptures by more than 90 of the nation’s leading Western artists. This annual exhibition is a premier event for Western art, offering collectors the opportunity to acquire exceptional works and engage with artists.
The many award-winning Grand Canyon paintings from past Prix de West shows will be included in the new biography about Curt’s life and career. Written by Damian Foreman and edited by Susan Hallsten McGarry, Resilience: The Life and Grand Canyon Art of Curt Walters will be printed in Italy by Fresco Fine Art Publications, LLC and distributed in January 2026 by the University of New Mexico.
More information on Curt Walters and his work can be found on his website: curtwalters.com.
