1994 Prix de West Bolo - Buffalo Dancer of the Rio Grande Pueblo by Allan Houser

The bolo was designed by the Chiricahua Apache sculptor Allan Houser, who won the Prix de West in 1993 for his 57-inch-high bronze statue of an Apache Indian brave sending a smoke signal.

The sculptor said the medallion depicts both the youthfulness of the dancer as well as the continuing tradition and meaning that the buffalo dance holds for the various Pueblo people who live along the Rio Grande.

In 1973, the National Academy of Western Art (NAWA) was organized to showcase work in the tradition of artists such as Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington. Awards and cash prizes were given each year, the highest of which was called the Prix de West. In 1995, NAWA was reorganized, and the event was renamed the Prix de West, still focused on promoting the best of Western art.

Now in its fifth decade, the Prix de West Invitational remains the premier Western art show in the world. Each year since 1973, the Museum has acquired the Prix de West Award winner for the permanent collection resulting in a gallery of paintings and sculpture by the finest contemporary Western artists that is second to none.

Add to your collection of our Prix de West bolos or start your collection today! These bolos are replicas of the original artwork. Each bolo comes with a braided horsehair bolo tie.