Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West to Showcase 20 Paintings by Artist Curt Walters, Widely Regarded as the Greatest Living Painter of the Grand Canyon, in an Exhibit Opening on January 17th.
“Curt Walters: Resilience” coincides with the publication of “Resilience: The Life History and Grand Canyon Art of Curt Walters,” a comprehensive survey of the noted artist’s career.
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) – On January 17, 2026, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West will open Curt Walters: Resilience, an exhibit that will highlight 20 exceptional paintings by renowned artist Curt Walters.
Widely recognized as the greatest living painter of the Grand Canyon, Walters has devoted five decades to capturing one of the world’s most challenging subjects, which is also one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Curt Walters: Resilience will feature paintings from the 1980s to the present, demonstrating the breadth and mastery that have defined his career.
The exhibit will be open to the public on Saturday, January 17 at Western Spirit, located at 3830 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ, 85251. The exhibit is scheduled to run through April 12, 2026.
The exhibition will feature some of Walters’ award-winning works, including First Touch of Winter, which won the Frederic Remington Award at Prix de West in 2013, and Inexorable Shiprock, which received the Buyer’s Choice Award at Prix de West in 2022. These works will be alongside paintings that showcase Walters’s command of scale, season, and atmosphere.
From intimate 20-inch studies to monumental canvases exceeding six feet, the selected works the artist’s profound understanding of light, geology, and the ever-changing moods of the American Southwest.
The exhibit coincides with the release of Walters book, Resilience:: The Life History and Grand Canyon Art of Curt Walters (University of New Mexico Press), a comprehensive survey of the artist’s career.
“Curt Walters has spent decades studying the Grand Canyon with the discipline of a geologist and the sensitivity of a painter,” said Andrew Patrick Nelson, Chief Curator at Western Spirit. “To see these works together is to experience an artist in dialogue with one of the world’s most complex landscapes. These paintings remind us why the Grand Canyon remains one of the most powerful subjects in American art.”
Born in New Mexico and raised in the Four Corners region, Walters studied with renowned landscape painter Wilson Hurley before establishing his studio in Sedona, Arizona, in 1979. His decades of painting on location at the Grand Canyon also led him to conservation advocacy. Walters has raised more than half a million dollars for the Grand Canyon Trust and serves as an honorary board member of the Grand Canyon Foundation. His work is held in the permanent collections of numerous museums and distinguished private collections.
In addition to the launch of Walters’ exhibit and book release, Western Spirit is also looking forward to the official opening of its expanded museum space. The Louis Sands IV Center will be home to four new exhibitions.
For more information about Curt Walters: Resilience, please visit westernspirit.org/.
The exhibit will run through March of 2026.
Western Spirit Memberships start at $75 and ticket prices run as following;
- $28 for adults
- $25 for seniors and military
- $12 for students
- Children 6 – 17 years of age and FREE for kids 5 and under.
For media inquiries please contact:
Jennifer Parks-Sturgeon — Jennifer@PrattMarketingAgency.com (480) 495-3806
Kendra Riley — Kendra@PrattMarketingAgency.com (480) 220-6051
About Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West: Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West is a world-class cultural destination in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale, where art, history, and storytelling ignite the spirit of the American West. As a proud Smithsonian Affiliate, it’s more than a museum — it’s an experience. Western Spirit is Scottsdale’s cultural crown jewel — a Smithsonian Affiliate that brings the West to life through immersive exhibits, world-class collections, and thought-provoking programs. Housed in a stunning LEED-Gold certified building, it’s a place where locals and visitors discover the enduring legacy of the American West — and the stories that still shape us today. Whether you’re an art lover, history buff, or just curious, this is where the West lives on. For more information, call (480) 686-9539 or visit westernspirit.org.