One of the Queen City’s most famous artists is finally getting the spotlight he deserves with a new exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum this fall.
“The Art of Charley Harper: Creatures Wild and Tame” will feature approximately 150 works by the beloved mid-century modern artist, designer, illustrator and nature advocate. Throughout his career, he created dozens of now-iconic posters for the National Park Service and nature organizations across the globe. It will debut on Oct. 16.
“It’s hard to believe, but this is Charley’s first museum retrospective. Exhibition-goers can look forward to a special, historic treat,” said the Charley Harper Art Studio’s Director, Brett Harper. “They will have the privilege to be able to see the 10 large paintings Charley completed on commission for the Interior Department’s U.S. National Park Service, which were only on public display in Washington, D.C., for a short time in the 1990s. They have been stored in archives—jewel-like acrylic masterpieces by an artist at the peak of his powers.”
Harper’s “minimal realism,” as he called his style, is deceptively simple, reducing nature to essential forms in elegant, witty, vividly colored imagery that breathes with life and personality. Harper studied and taught at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and remained in the city throughout a long and storied career. Famously, he was deeply committed to wildlife conservation and created many works in support of conservation efforts and organizations.
“As Charley’s son, I’m thrilled to see him honored by his hometown art museum,” Harper said. “He asked me to ensure that future generations remember his art and conservation ethos. He makes you smile, whether you’re 3 or 103.”
Although the museum has shown Harper’s work before — in “Minimal Realism: Charley and Edie Harper, 1940-1960,” Aug. 18–Oct. 21, 2007, and “Big Country: Charley Harper Draws America,” June 12–Sept. 5, 2010 — these were small shows and only included work Harper made prior to 1960. The Art of Charley Harper: Creatures Wild and Tame covers his entire career.
The exhibition will feature a variety of Harper’s works, including original paintings for now-iconic National Park Service posters returning to Cincinnati for the first time since completion. In addition, three paintings will be on loan from the Everglades National Park’s collection featuring diverse flora and fauna from the complex Florida ecosystem. There will also be maquettes and drawings offering behind-the-scenes looks at Harper’s working processes, as well as screen prints, acrylic paintings, watercolors and more on view.
“This exhibition celebrates everything we love about Charley Harper, providing fresh insight into his joyful artistry,” Julie Aronson, PhD, curator of American paintings, sculpture, and drawings at CAM, said. “A student of nature whose unique work expresses a deep sense of wonder and discovery, Harper used his art for the protection of wild spaces and creatures threatened by human development.”
In conjunction, the nearby Taft Museum of Art will present the first solo museum exhibition devoted to innovative artist Edie McKee Harper, Charley Harper’s lifelong creative partner. “Edie McKee Harper: Modernist at Play” will be on view Oct. 17, 2026, through Jan. 24, 2027. The Taft and the Cincinnati Art Museum will collaborate on a public panel discussion examining both artists’ practices.
“The Art of Charley Harper: Creatures Wild and Tame” will be on view from Friday, October 16, 2026, through Sunday, March 7, 2027. For more information, visit the Cincinnati Art Museum’s official website.
