In 1880, A few days after his 16th birthday Charles Marion Russell arrived in the Judith Basin region of Montana. For the next two years while he worked as night wrangler he recorded the action and essence of a cow camp with his pencil sketches. He was a full time working cowboy for the next 11 years before becoming a full time artist. Spending the summer of 1888 in Alberta influenced his art for the rest of his life, evidenced by the details of the plains Indians in so many of his paintings. He married Nancy Cooper in 1896. A few years later he would create a legacy of paintings and sculptures of the west he lived and loved. In his log studio next to his home in Great Falls Montana. Charlie Russell completed approximately 4,000 works of art during his lifetime. He was the first western artist to live most of his life in the west, and for this reason, knew his subject matter intimately. He is one of the most widely recognized and distinguished western artists of his time and to this day.
Today, the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana is dedicated to the interpretation and preservation of the work and life of Charles M. Russell, and to sharing his unique art and vision with the people who loved the west as much as Charlie did.
Charlie passed away in 1926, and today, the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana welcomes visitors from around the world.
