The Art of Ezra Tucker
Ezra Tucker is one of the most skilled and ambitious wildlife and Western painters working today. Trained as a commercial illustrator with an impressive corporate portfolio, Tucker has spent the last 30 years as a fine artist developing his considerable skill in drawing coupled with deep scientific and historical study of his subjects. Favoring dynamic compositions at large scales, Tucker seeks to make his subjects come alive for viewers as well as inspire them to protect the endangered species of our planet.
Among his influences are the illustrated Bibles he knew as a young pastor’s son, the World Book encyclopedias his parents purchased for their family, and the stage sets and theatre posters he made for his Memphis high school in the 1970s. Early mass media fueled his pictorial imagination with infinite possibilities for creative expression, and the illustrator N.C. Wyeth is counted among his inspirations. Now based in Colorado, Tucker focuses on wildlife and depicting the Black experience in the historic American West.
“When Kehinde Wiley was chosen to paint President Obama’s official portrait, that brought national attention to other figurative artists of his generation who were Black such as Jordan Casteel, Jennifer Packer, and Amy Sherald. But they were preceded by Ezra Tucker, 20 years their senior, and a contemporary and friend of his, Dean Mitchell, whose work I had the privilege to tour during the first five years of the long-running, Arts for the Parks traveling exhibition. Similar in breadth to Dean Mitchell’s body of work which is derived from African American culture writ large, Ezra Tucker’s body of work has ranged from commercial illustration including work to promote feature length movies and products produced by a broad client base of Fortune 500 corporations, to the core subject of his easel paintings – wildlife, and more recently, largely unknown stories of Black experience through the history of America’s West. Display of The Art of Ezra Tucker at the prestigious Fort Wayne Museum of Art caps off a three-year, nationwide, coast-to-coast, nine-city tour — a fitting tribute to such an accomplished artist.” – David J. Wagner, PhD.
This exhibition is sponsored by the Edward D. and Ione Auer Foundation and these donors to the 2025 Annual Fund: David L. and Janet S. Bell, Janellyn and Glenn Borden, Louise Cartwright, Clearstead, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Emley, Melanie and Bob Hall, Bob and Carol Fawley, Margy and John Feighner, Brenda and Steve Fishbaugh, Sharmalene and Nishantha Gunawardena, the Ladowski Family, Floyd and Betty Lou Lancia, Jeff and Linda Radke, Mark and Chris Rupp, Art and Karen Surguine, Lisa and Dick Teets, and in memory of William and Jo Ann Wyatt.
The Art of Ezra Tucker tour is curated by David J. Wagner, PhD. and produced by David J. Wagner, LLC. Exhibition design is by Amanda Shepard, FWMoA VP & COO.