CINCINNATI.- The children of Cincinnati’s Mr. and Mrs. William J. Williams have presented a major promised gift of three extraordinary paintings by Frederic Remington, Charles Russell and Seth Eastman to the Cincinnati Art Museum in honor of their father, William J. Williams, former CEO of Western and Southern Life Insurance Company.

The Williams’ gift includes: Remington’s A Map in the Sand (1905), which captures the blazing sunlight on a desert terrain; Russell’s action-filled Roping Fresh Mounts (1918) set in the Arizona landscape in late afternoon light; and Eastman’s Buffalo Hunt (ca. 1848) which depicts a hunting scene among rolling hills that echo the rounded forms of fleeing buffalo. Visitors have an opportunity to see the three paintings, which are currently on view in galleries 216 and 217 of the American wing.

“We are so grateful to the Williams family for this generous gift, which enhances the Art Museum’s collection of American art,” said Aaron Betsky, director of the Cincinnati Art Museum. “We are delighted to share these paintings with the community and invite everyone to come see these great works.”

Mr. Williams spent much time at his sister’s ranch in Arizona and began collecting paintings and sculptures of the frontier in the 1950s because of his fascination with the ways in which artists like Remington told the story of American West. He particularly admired the work of western artists of the 1800s, believing they painted what they actually experienced. Today, the Williams’ entire collection includes works by many celebrated American artists including George Catlin, Thomas Moran and Henry Farny. The Art Museum honored the Williams family during a private reception on Sept. 23, at which the paintings were unveiled.