INDIANAPOLIS — A new exhibition opening at the Eiteljorg Museum brings together breathtaking paintings, watercolors and drawings by a major 19th century artist of the American West, Alfred Jacob Miller, who was eyewitness to a historic gathering in the Rocky Mountains in 1837.
Alfred Jacob Miller: Revisiting the Rendezvous in Scotland and Today opens at the Eiteljorg on August 3 and continues through Jan. 26, 2025. Before traveling to Indianapolis, the exhibition previously was on view at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, which jointly organized the project with the Eiteljorg Museum.
Western art enthusiasts will experience 50 of Miller’s works that once graced the walls of Murthly Castle, the Scotland home of Miller’s patron, William Drummond Stewart (1795-1871). This traveling exhibition is the first time in more than a century that so many of Miller’s works – which were sold off after Stewart’s death – have been reunited to appear in the same location.
Miller (1810-1874) was the only European-American artist to witness the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous of 1837, during which Native peoples such as the Shoshone and other cultures gathered together with European-American fur traders along the Green River in what was then Wyoming Territory. Part camping expedition, part trading post, part reunion and celebration with hunting, gambling, friendship and camaraderie, the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous is remembered as an important cultural event in Wyoming’s history.
Miller’s sketches created during the Rendezvous were the basis for his later paintings. Miller made only one expedition to the West, though he later spent a few years painting in Scotland where his works were displayed at Murthly Castle.
There will be special events connected with this exhibit — visit eiteljorg.org for details. The Eiteljorg is open Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., and Sun. noon-5 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $16 for seniors, and $12 for students. The Eiteljorg is a cashless facility, and must be paid on a credit or debit card, or a variety of cashless options.
