Audley Dean Nicols (1875-1941) was the best-known and most influential painter in West Texas in the early part of the 20th century. The deserts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona were his favorite subjects, as he loved depicting the colorful sunsets and expansive vistas.
Born in Pittsburgh, he came from a family who loved art. He first studied art with his mother and then attended the Art Students League and the Metropolitan School of Fine Arts in New York City. He went to Europe for further study and then became an illustrator for Harper’s, Scribners, and Colliers.
He moved to El Paso (for health reasons) in the late 1920s as an established and successful artist. This is where he started to paint the desert and cowboy landscapes of West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The gallery has handled works from all three of these states.