2013 Prix de West Collectors' Bolo: Chief Bolo by Blair Buswell

The 2013 Prix de West Collectors’ Bolo, Chief Bolo, was created by acclaimed American sculptor Blair Buswell. The bolo reflects Buswell’s exceptional skill as a figurative sculptor. Known for his ability to capture the character and likeness of his subjects, Buswell has built a distinguished career spanning Western art, portraiture, and monumental sculpture.

Buswell studied illustration and sculpture at Utah State University and Brigham Young University before establishing himself as a leading portrait sculptor. His career expanded beyond Western subjects to include some of the most recognizable figures in sports, including more than 95 busts commissioned for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is a Fellow of the National Sculpture Society and a member of the Prix de West Society, and his work has been exhibited at Prix de West for decades.

The 2013 bolo is particularly significant within Buswell’s Prix de West history. Just two years earlier, in 2011, he received the James Earle Fraser Sculpture Award at Prix de West for How Many More, a bronze portraying a Native American subject. His 2013 Collectors’ Bolo therefore represents the work of an artist already recognized by Prix de West for exceptional achievement in Western sculpture.

As part of the annual Prix de West Collectors’ Bolo tradition, Chief Bolo offers a small-scale example of Buswell’s accomplished portraiture and a tangible connection to his long-standing role in contemporary Western art. Its compact format makes it an especially distinctive collectible, while its creation for Prix de West places it within the history of one of the most important annual exhibitions of Western art.