Lot 24023: RICHARD AMUNDSEN (American 1928-1998)

RICHARD AMUNDSEN (American 1928-1998)
Sleeping Giants
Oil on masonite
6in. x 18in. (sight size)
Signed lower right: Amundsen
Inscribed on verso: "Sleeping Giants"/ Richard Amundsen/ Reproduction Rts./ Retained by the artist
Artist Union Gallery, Montana stamp on verso

Richard Amundsen was born in Sacramento Valley, California and was educated in San Francisco. In 1963, he began his career as an illustrator specializing in wildlife. He moved to Seattle and used a New York City agent to help secure commissions from publications such as Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Golden Books, Random House, and Readers Digest. He also illustrated the Remington Arms wildlife calendars as well as Leanin' Tree Christmas cards.

Amundsen moved to Cody, Wyoming and began working as a fine artist. He was considered one of the top painters in the area. He later moved to Bozeman, Montana and painted in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. His commissioned painting of Theodore Roosevelt in the high country was presented to President Nixon, earning him the Presidential Seal. Amundsen was an avid outdoorsman and many of his paintings resulted from personal experiences he had through fishing, hunting, and research trips.