Wort Hotel Art Collection
“From our standpoint, this is a tribute to the importance and history of the Wort, that we connect it authentically with the West and the experience of the cowboy and cowgirl and the American Indian and the landscape...it just seemed appropriate to use to amplify those connections with beautiful, original Western art.” -Bill Baxter, Owner
The Wort Hotel is a must stop for the Western Fine Art Enthusiast. The Hotel contains over 175 pieces of original contemporary and traditional Western Art, valued at over $1.2 million. Each piece of art was carefully chosen by Wort owner Bill Baxter and represents his passion and style for art. It features sculptured bronze work, acrylics, and oils. Something more unique in the art world is the Hand Carved Wood Western Themed Doors. Each door represents a theme for the Suite décor inside; Cowboy, Cowgirl, Shoshone, Teton or Silver Dollar. Look inside these rooms and you will find additional original artworks from that region or time period. The majority of the artwork is on display publicly throughout the hotel, approximately 100 pieces. The Silver Dollar Bar is known for its Saloon pieces by recently deceased artist Ray McCarty. The Wort Hotel and Silver Dollar Inc. have the largest collection of McCarty pieces at 50; Steven Wynn of Las Vegas has 42 making his the 2nd largest collection. The Shoshone Suite as well as some of the public spaces of the hotel feature Native American pieces conveying historical depictions of the Western Frontier and Native American Tribes. Key pieces by Gerry Metz, John Clymer and Joe Velazquez are included. Velazquez pursued his creative passion in fine art portraying with historical accuracy the people and routes of the fur trade era.
The hotel features a self-guided walking tour with photos and descriptions of key pieces of art. The brochure provides an overview on the artist as well as the name of each piece featured in the hotel. This is a free tour available to anyone who stops into the hotel to have a look. This is a privately owned collection with new additional artwork being purchased all the time. The majority of the collection has been housed at the hotel for at least the past 10-15 years.
Art Collection Highlights
Lyle Waggoner
The Silver Dollar Bar features 13 original Lyle Waggoner pieces. Lyle Waggoner gained national recognition as a regular on The Carol Burnett Show in his role as the “Handsome Announcer”. Lyle continued his acting career as a co-star on the hit series Wonder Woman, before starting a very successful business supplying location trailers to the entertainment industry. Lyle became interested in Bronze Art in 2003 and then began sculpting his popular whimsical lovely ladies. The whimsical ladies, an extension of Lyle’s creative personality and clever sense of humor, were significantly inspired by his experiences in Jackson Hole. Lyle’s entire collection is on display in the Silver Dollar Bar & Showroom. The bronzes are available across Glenwood Street from the hotel at The West Lives On Gallery.
Ray McCarty
The Wort Hotel is home to the largest original Ray McCarty collection in the world and can be found in the Silver Dollar Bar, Showroom and in a few guest rooms. Ray’s first paintings were sketches of the American West inspired by his outlaw ancestry, The McCarty Gang, partners in crime with Butch Cassidy. Ray studied art extensively and ironically was an understudy to Paul Clowes, who created the signature leatherwork over the bar here in The Silver Dollar. Ray used live models in all of his portraits. His canvases captured emotion in all of the many human palettes: proud and haughty, sensual and sexual, shy and humble, reflective and contemplative.
John Clymer
Our Clymer Room is named after John Clymer's 12 art pieces that adorn the wall space within this private dining room. John Ford Clymer, renowned for his historic and artistic contribution in documenting the American Frontier. As an illustrator, he created over 80 covers for the Saturday Evening Post. He committed himself to painting the history of the American West, and his one-man wildlife art exhibition was hosted by New York’s Grand Central Art Galleries. His many honors included the National Academy of Western Art’s Prix de West Award and the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s Rungius Medal.
Book a room now so you can stay at the hotel and experience this amazing art collection!