For the first time together, two of Charles M. Russell’s oil paintings, Counting Coup and When Blackfeet and Sioux Meet, and one of his sculptures, Counting Coup, will be exhibited along with a rarely seen letter written and illustrated by Russell that recounts the story that inspired the three related works.

“The letter is considered to be one of the finest that Russell ever wrote about one of his works of art,” says Brian W. Dippie, Ph.D., a specialist in the history of Western American art and an authority on Russell.

According to Dr. Dippie, “counting coup” (pronounced “coo”) was a high honor and a key to social status for men in Plains Indian societies, which prized individual bravery. The coup was “counted” when an Indian succeeded in getting so close to the enemy that he could touch his adversary with a club or whip —without necessarily causing him any harm. 

The Museum has published an insightful publication by Dr. Dippie, Charles M. Russell and the Art of Counting Coup, which includes images of the three works along with the letter and rare photographs of Russell and his wife, Nancy.

Sid Richardson Museum director Jan Scott, who organized the exhibition, says “The exhibition features nine of Russell’s bronze sculptures from a private collection, including his first, Smoking Up.”  In addition to Smoking Up (date unknown) and Counting Coup (1905), the bronzes in the exhibition include:

• A Bronc Twister (date unknown)
• Oh! Mother, What Is It? (cast c. 1941-42)
• Smoking with the Spirit of the Buffalo (cast c. 1929-32)
• The Snake Priest (cast c. 1941-42)
• To Noses That Read, A Smell That Spells Man (cast c. 1929-32)
• The Range Father (cast c. 1941-42)
• Will Rogers (cast c. 1929-32).

Dr. Dippie’s introduction to the publication, Charles M. Russell and the Art of Counting Coup, properly sets the stage for the exhibit:

“Sometimes the stars line up just right, and the effect is electrifying. In the course of forming his great collection of Western art, Sid Richardson acquired both Counting Coup and When Blackfeet and Sioux Meet, two thematically related oil paintings that show Charles M. Russell at the top of his form in 1902 and 1908 respectively. In between, Russell created a brilliant action group, also titled Counting Coup, which was cast in bronze in 1905. Because Russell modeled so effortlessly, he liked to fashion wax figures to serve as guides for his paintings. They allowed him to perfect lighting, shadow, proportion, and perspective. In this instance, he had created a major bronze group based on the incident portrayed in his 1902 oil, and then he went on to make a painting identical in composition to the bronze.

“It was always a goal to exhibit the bronze and the two pictures together to establish the interplay between modeling and painting in Russell's art. But a fourth component was missing. Russell wrote a letter in 1902 to his St. Louis patron, George W. Kerr, vividly recounting the story that inspired Counting Coup — a story he had heard directly from the lips of the Blood Indian featured in his painting….When that letter became available for exhibition through the generosity of its owner, all the pieces fell into place and the stars were aligned. Prepare to be electrified.”