This Week in the West: Bettina Steinke and the Prix de West

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 34: Bettina Steinke

📢 Episode Summary: This episode of This Week in The West celebrates the life and legacy of Bettina Steinke, one of the most influential women in the history of Western art. We take listeners back to 1938, when Steinke was sketching live performances of the NBC Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini at Studio 8H—now known as the home of Saturday Night Live. Her early work at NBC, including portraits of major radio stars, quickly earned her national attention and launched a career that would span portraiture, murals, and illustrations.

Steinke’s artistic journey took her from Connecticut to the world stage during World War II, where she painted American leaders and sketched wounded soldiers in hospitals for their families. After marrying photojournalist Don Blair, she eventually settled in the American Southwest. There, her passion turned to Western themes and portraiture. Her home, "The Compound," in Santa Fe became a thriving creative space, and her role as a mentor to young artists earned her the affectionate nickname “Mother Blair.”

The episode also highlights Steinke’s deep ties to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Her painting Father and Daughter at the Crow Fair won a prestigious Purchase Award at the Prix de West, and she helped found the National Academy of Western Art. The museum honored her with retrospectives and a lifetime achievement award. Steinke passed away in 1999, but her artistic legacy continues to inspire through her portraits, mentorship, and contributions to elevating Western art to fine art status.

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

• How Bettina Steinke rose to fame through her portraits of major figures in entertainment and wartime America.
• The pivotal role she played in shaping and legitimizing Western art as fine art.
• Her lasting legacy at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and her influence on generations of artists.

👥 Behind the Scenes Host: Seth Spillman Producer: Chase Spivey Writer: Mike Koehler

🔗 Further research:

• More about the 2012 Exhibition of Steinke’s work at The Cowboy: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/explore/faces-bettina-steinke/
• Buy a print of Steinke’s Purchase Award-winning painting “Father & Daughter at the Crow Fair.” https://persimmonhillstore.com/products/father-daughter-at-the-crow-fair-by-bettina-steinke-unsigned
• Don Hedgpeth’s biography of Bettina Steinke: https://www.amazon.com/Bettina-Portraying-life-Don-Hedgpeth/dp/0873581695

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