James Hughlette Wheeler (April 24, 1901 – December 12, 1954) also known as "Tex" Wheeler, was an American sculptor renowned for his lifelike depictions of cowboys, cattlemen, and horses. Known as the "Cowboy Sculptor," Wheeler's work captured the essence of the American West and the spirit of the equestrian world. Some of his most famous works include a life-sized statue of "Seabiscuit" and a life sized statue of the renowned jockey, George Woolf, and statues of cowboy entertainer Will Rogers.
Early life and education Wheeler was born to James and Nora Ida Wheeler. He had one sibling, a sister three years his junior. Their mother died when Wheeler was seven years old, leaving the children to be raised by friends and family members. Their father, described as a poor provider, largely abandoned them until they were old enough to work around the home. His teen years were spent as a cowhand in the wilds of Orange and Osceola Counties in Central Florida. During this time, he created one of his first pieces: a cow's head whittled from a cowhorn using a pocket knife.
Early artistic development and recognition In 1925, at age 24 he matriculated at the Cleveland School of Art, today called Cleveland Institute of Art for sculpture, having never modeled until 1923 but showing natural aptitude. Wheeler's artistic potential was recognized by his father's first cousin from Cleveland, Ohio. This relative offered him room and board to attend the Cleveland School of Art, with tuition paid by an aunt. When asked to make a flower out of a piece of clay, Wheeler instead crafted a horse so impressive that his teacher had it cast in bronze. The first mention of him in a newspaper appears to be in the local paper, September 1926, where he is both praised and criticized, "Being a student he still has faults."
While in college, he was successful doing commissions of favorite animals of wealthy polo pony owners earning several thousand dollars for many. His first student works were purchased by Cleveland book store owners Korner & Wood Galleries. In his first year, it is reported he sold five bronzes that had been cast in bronze at a foundry in France and the following year had some of his work handled by Tiffany. In his second year he was being referred to as a prodigy in local newspaper and his work was on display in a local gallery. By 1928 he had his work in the Cleveland Museum of Art.
He studied under Russian-American sculptor, Alexander Blazys. While in art school, he won the Herman Matzen Scholarship to study a year in Europe / Paris. The Orlando Evening Star quoted Matzen as saying, "Wheeler will be greater than Remington as an interpreter of wild things and fine animals." In 1930, in Paris he became a pupil of the great French sculptors, Despiau, and Gimond. While there he took up the study of etching and drawing.
It was during his time at art school, Wheeler says he was given the nickname "Tex". It was during his years at Cleveland School of Art that Wheeler said, "I have learned to model the human figure. When I first went to school I could do horses and steers."
One of his early pieces, "The Hard Pull," depicted a cowboy throwing his weight on the off-stirrup, helping his horse keep its feet while dragging a steer out of a bog. The tension and struggle were so vividly rendered that the unseen steer became almost visible to viewers.
The proportions and positions of Wheeler's first three models were indeed so natural that one teacher declared they had no "art" in them, they were "too natural". However, even this criticism, which paradoxically praised Wheeler's accuracy, faded away when Wheeler returned from a visit to the Messrs. Korner & Wood with a quotation of $625 apiece for his first works. This significant valuation of his early pieces demonstrated the immediate recognition of Wheeler's exceptional talent and the commercial appeal of his naturalistic style.
Critical acclaim and comparisons to Western art legends By January 1927, Wheeler's work was gaining significant attention. The Time magazine article of January 10, 1927, which reported on Wheeler's rapid rise to prominence, noted that "Fame impended" for the young artist from Florida. By April 1932, he was featured on the front page of The Los Angeles Times and called by the paper, "Cowboy Sculptor Master of His Craft." This early recognition set the stage for Wheeler's long career as one of America's preeminent sculptors of Western and equestrian subjects.
Time magazine reported that for two months, Clevelanders had been admiring his small white plaster sculptures of horses and men, which experts declared were superior to anything of their kind ever before produced in the United States.
Wheeler's emergence came at a pivotal time in Western art. Frederick Remington, known for his paintings and models of Western plains life, had died in 1909. Charles Marion Russell, a Montana-based cowboy artist celebrated for his authentic depictions of ranch life, had died in 1926. In this context, Wheeler was seen as a potential successor to these giants of Western art. Will James, a respected cowboy artist and writer from Great Falls, Montana, gave Wheeler's work a resounding endorsement. After viewing Wheeler's casts in Cleveland, James stated, "I have seen the work of the best of 'em - sculptors of cowboy life, that of Frederick Remington and Charles Marion Russell, and today's the first day I've ever seen a real cowboy ridin' a real cowpony."
Wheeler's work gained international recognition when his work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics, though he did not win a medal.
15 years after his death, Willard H. Porter, wrote about him, "the stuff he did for horsemen, in its own way, was just as great as the stuff two other artists - Remington and Russell - did for the old west."
Artistic philosophy and working methods Wheeler's artistic philosophy was deeply rooted in his understanding and appreciation of horses. He felt that "no two bronze horses should look exactly alike, just as no two live horses do." This commitment to authenticity sometimes led to interesting interactions with clients. In one notable instance, George M. Humphrey, who served as the United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1953 to 1957, commissioned Wheeler to create a model of his favorite hunter in the early 1930s. The horse was slightly "over in the knees" (buck-kneed), and Humphrey asked Wheeler for an exact portrayal. When the sculpture was completed, Humphrey was surprised by the accuracy of the depiction, initially believing Wheeler had exaggerated the horse's condition. Upon comparing the sculpture to the actual horse, Humphrey had to admit that Wheeler had faithfully duplicated his hunter in every respect, including the slight unsoundness in the forelegs.
Wheeler believed that "A piece of sculpture that is good rouses some feeling in a person." This philosophy guided his work process, leading him to assert, "That's why I think it's a mistake to keep on working on things when you know you've done your best to put in clay the feeling you had." For Wheeler, knowing when to stop was one of an artist's most important skills. His niece, Mary Ida Shearhart said of him, “He used to say it took two people to do a piece of art: one to do it, and the other to shoot him before he ruined it.”
In terms of technique, Wheeler primarily used the lost-wax process for casting his bronzes. This method, in which a wax model is created, encased in a mold, and then melted out to be replaced by molten bronze, allowed for the fine, accurate details that Wheeler was particularly concerned with capturing.
Wheeler was known to prioritize authenticity over artistic convention. He would rather go unpaid than create a model of a horse he didn't like. He also once told the Los Angeles Times that polo, because of its exciting moments of action for both horse and rider was a subject that interested him greatly.
Reception, notable works, and exhibitions Wheeler's sculptures gained significant recognition and acclaim, and also sometimes received mixed reactions from art critics and horse experts, reflecting the unique position he occupied between fine art and specialist equestrian knowledge.
A notable example of the varying reception to his work is his piece "Tail Shot," which depicted a difficult polo maneuver. Initially, art critics derided the work as "utterly impossible," questioning Wheeler's knowledge of polo and horses. However, Wheeler invited high-goal polo players to explain the maneuver to the critics. After this explanation, one critic who had originally criticized the statue praised it as "a unique demonstration of sheer virtuosity in solving the complex problem of balance and jet-propelled action."
This incident exemplifies Wheeler's prioritization of accuracy and authenticity in his depictions of horses and equestrian sports. It also demonstrates how his work could bridge the gap between fine art and specialist knowledge of horsemanship, however, Wheeler was clear about his intended audience. He often said, "I'm doing this stuff for horsemen, not critics."
While Wheeler's work may not have received widespread public recognition during his lifetime, his sculptures pleased his clients. Rukin Jelks, a racer of quarter horses and thoroughbreds, said of Wheeler: "I haven't seen any other artist who could do a portrait of a horse and do it so realistically. Tex could shape up a horse's personality perfectly after the first draft in clay." Similarly, Melvin Haskell, who raced thoroughbreds and quarter horses, stated, "Without reservation, he was great and he got great likenesses. He had the extraordinary talent of catching the perfect likeness of an animal."
His work was exhibited at several prestigious venues, including: Korner & Wood Galleries, (1926–1930), Cleveland The Central Florida Exposition, (Orlando), 1928 Cleveland Museum of Art (1928–1929) London [unknown when or where] Paris [unknown when or where] The Central Florida Exposition, (Orlando), 1930 Gage Gallery, Cleveland (1931)(1934) The Central Florida Exposition, (Orlando), 1931 Olympiad, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), 1932 The Ambassador, (Los Angeles), 1932 Ilsley Gallery (Los Angeles), 1932-1933 Art Exhibition, (Miami, FL), 1934 Arizona Biltmore Hotel, (Phoenix), 1934 Ackerman Gallery, (NYC, NY), 1936 Fort Worth Frontier Centennial, 1936 Biltmore Salon (Los Angeles), 1939 Desert Inn Gallery (Palm Desert), 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE), 1940 N.C. Museum of Art, 1967 Amon Carter Museum (Fort Worth, TX), 1961–2000.
His works can be found in notable collections including Will Rogers State Park (Santa Monica), Will Rogers Memorial Museum (Claremore, OK), Santa Anita Park (Seabiscuit statue and George Woolf statue), National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Ridgewood Ranch, the permanent collection at the Fort Christmas Historical Park, and at Pebble Hill Plantation in the Elisabeth Ireland Gallery.
Seabiscuit and George Woolf statues Perhaps Wheeler's most famous work is his statue of the racehorse Seabiscuit. Commissioned by Charles S. Howard, Wheeler cast two statues of Seabiscuit in 1940-41 while the horseracing legend was still alive. Many sculptors tried to get the commission but it was Wheeler's rough model that won the job.
Legend had it that Wheeler would not work with a horse he did not like, going through painstaking observation and detail to capture his subject's personality. Seabiscuit, once considered an unmanageable nag, was described by Wheeler as a "highly satisfactory model" during their time together. Wheeler made two castings of the Seabiscuit statue: