CINCINNATI, OH.- The Cincinnati Art Museum is organizing its first full-scale, scholarly exhibition of works by Cincinnati art icon Charley Harper. The Art of Charley Harper: Creatures Wild and Tame, on view from October 16, 2026–March 7, 2027, will feature approximately 150 works by the beloved mid-century modern artist, designer, illustrator and nature advocate. The exhibition is presented in partnership with the Charley Harper Art Studio.

“It’s hard to believe, but this is Charley’s first museum retrospective. Exhibition-goers can look forward to a special, historic treat,” according to studio 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.”

“As Charley’s son, I’m thrilled to see him honored by his hometown art museum,” Brett Harper continued. “He asked me to ensure that future generations remember his art and conservation ethos. He makes you smile, whether you’re 3 or 103.”

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 worked here through a long and storied career. Harper was deeply committed to wildlife conservation and created many works in support of conservation efforts and organizations.

“This exhibition celebrates everything we love about Charley Harper, providing fresh insight into his joyful artistry,” says Julie Aronson, PhD, curator of American paintings, sculpture, and drawings at CAM, “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.”





Although CAM has shown Harper’s work before–in Minimal Realism: Charley and Edie Harper, 1940-1960, August 18–October 21, 2007, and Big Country: Charley Harper Draws America, June 12–September 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.

In conjunction, the 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 October 17, 2026, through January 24, 2027. The Taft and the Cincinnati Art Museum will collaborate on a public panel discussion examining both artists’ practices. Details to come.

The works featured in The Art of Charley Harper: Creatures Wild and Tame appear courtesy of Harper’s studio as well as private and public collections, including contributions from the CAM collection. The exhibition is organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum and presented in partnership with the Charley Harper Art Studio, the artist’s extensive archive directed by Brett Harper.

The Art of Charley Harper: Creatures Wild and Tame is presented by P&G. The exhibition is funded in part by the Wyeth Foundation for American Art and the America 250-Ohio Commission. Views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of the America 250-Ohio Commission.

The exhibition will be on view from Friday, October 16, 2026, through Sunday, March 7, 2027.