Discover Ben Steele’s feature in Western Art Collector, spotlighting his witty, pop-culture-infused Western art in a major museum show at The James Museum.
Altamira Fine Art is thrilled to celebrate Ben Steele and his recent feature in Western Art Collector, highlighting his solo museum exhibition “A POP of Art!” at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg, Florida. The exhibition showcases 10 imaginative works from Steele’s prolific career on loan from the esteemed Tom and Mary James/Raymond James Financial Art Collection.
Art History Meets Pop Culture
Steele is known for his brilliant mashups melding Western motifs with iconic imagery from art history and pop culture. Whether it’s John Wayne reimagined as an Etch A Sketch, Clint Eastwood on a spaghetti can, or Salvador Dalí’s dreamlike cows floating over barns, his work always delivers a clever twist wrapped in masterful technique.
As Western Art Collector writes, Steele “combines familiar objects from pop culture and famous art history references like no other… adding clever intention with puns and nostalgia.”
Highlights from the Exhibition
“Western Sauce” channels Warhol with a spaghetti can label featuring Clint Eastwood.
“Double Take” depicts John Wayne rendered in the iconic red frame of an Etch A Sketch.
“Sketching with Sargent” is a trompe l’oeil coloring book homage to John Singer Sargent.
“Dalí Dairy” features long-legged cows à la Dalí’s surreal elephants, equal parts homage and humor.
Each piece prompts an “aha” moment for viewers, inviting them into a new conversation between past and present, tradition and reinterpretation.
A Museum Milestone
This exhibition marks an important moment in Steele’s career, elevating his imaginative, referential Western art to a major museum audience. As curator Emily Kapes notes, “These paintings make a powerful impact with viewers because of the recognizable imagery they experience in a brand new way.”
Why It Matters
Ben Steele isn’t just painting pictures, he’s constructing cultural time machines. With wit, skill, and reverence for art history, he makes Western storytelling feel fresh, intellectual, and unexpectedly fun. Western Art Collector’s coverage affirms his position as one of the most conceptually playful and technically gifted artists in the New West movement.
Ben Steele’s work is available through Altamira Fine Art in Jackson Hole and Scottsdale. To inquire about current works, commissions, or future shows, contact us directly.