William Harold Zimmerman Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1937 - d. 2011

William H. “Bill” Zimmerman (1937-2011):

An Indiana native and long-time resident, was both one of the state’s premier wildlife artists and a tireless advocate for nature conservation efforts across Indiana and beyond. Zimmerman was inspired by nature and art at an early age growing up in Dearborn County, initially modeling his depictions of the birds he observed in the wild after the work of naturalist and painter John James Audobon. Although he had no formal art training at the time, when Zimmerman was 17, he displayed and sold some of his first paintings--copies of plates from Audubon’s Birds of America—in an exhibition at A.B. Closson Gallery in Cincinnati.

Zimmerman eventually attended Cincinnati Art Academy and landed a position as art director for Gibson Greeting Card Company in Cincinnati. However, his creativity and passion for wildlife painting remained unfulfilled, so he set out on his own to follow his dream. Zimmerman traveled extensively to research and work on his natural subject matter, including to Alaska, Latin America, and Africa, and after honing his craft for several summers in Jackson, Wyoming, he published a waterfowl quick guide, Top Flite: Speed Index to Waterfowl Identification, with fellow Cincinnati wildlife artist John A. Ruthven. In 1974, following seven years dedicated almost exclusively to large format paintings, Zimmerman published his major life’s work, Waterfowl of North America, an elephant folio-format, leather-bound edition depicting all 42 species of geese, ducks, and swans in North America.

The original paintings for this book remain some of Zimmerman’s most important and striking works and have been exhibited in museums and galleries across the US and UK. In addition to creating the illustrations, Zimmerman also authored this limited-edition folio of which 1000 copies were printed and sold out almost immediately for $1000 each. Zimmerman and his book were featured on “The Today Show” and in The New York Times. Zimmerman established himself as the quintessential Indiana naturalist/artist, contributing his talents to The Birds of Indiana by Charles E. Keller and Russell E. Mumford. His 175 illustrations of the nesting birds of Indiana adorned this collector’s classic, which was published by Indiana University Press in 1984 and eventually proclaimed a state treasure by the Governor of Indiana. In 2019, upon its 35th anniversary, the edition was reprinted to similar acclaim across the state and Midwest region.

Several of the original paintings from The Birds of Indiana’s are currently being displayed in the Indiana University Biology Building. Following the success of The Birds of Indiana, Zimmerman’s stunning lifelike depictions of the birds, nests, eggs, and flora of the Midwest became the centerpiece for The Birds of Illinois, The Birds of Ohio, and The Birds of Kentucky, all of which were also published by Indiana University Press with much fanfare. In 1992, Zimmerman began work on what he hoped would be several illustrated versions of Arthur Cleveland Bent’s classic Life Histories series. Zimmerman’s initial publication, Woodpeckers of North America, brought Bent’s prose to life by adding striking and colorful representations of the 25 species in North America, including the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker once thought to be extinct. Because of the combination of its critically acclaimed artistry and scientific accuracy, Zimmerman’s woodpecker compendium, also published Indiana University Press, quickly became a fan favorite for nature enthusiasts and woodpecker lovers alike and ended up on many a coffee table.

The original paintings remain part of the Indiana University Art Museum’s permanent collection, and the ivory-billed woodpecker painting was used by Cornell ornithologist and Editor-in-Chief of Living Bird magazine Tim Gallagher for his 2005 book The Grail Bird, which recounted the re-discovery of the species. Unfortunately, Zimmerman was unable to complete any additional Life Histories because of an illness. As an Indiana artist, Zimmerman held a particular fondness for promoting Indiana-based conservation efforts by partnering with organizations across Indiana to raise funds and awareness using his original artwork. Some of these initiatives included a series of paintings of various owl species for Eagle Creek Park’s Celebration of Nature for the Indianapolis parks and a collection of 18 paintings for the Indiana State Museum Society, each portraying wildlife unique to one of Indiana’s State Parks. The original state park paintings have been on display in the Indiana State Museum, with corresponding limited-edition prints marketed and sold throughout the state parks.

He also created the well-known Indiana Conservation Stamp depicting two baby foxes among trilliums. In addition to being featured in Indiana-focused publications and exhibitions, Zimmerman’s work has also been featured nationally and internationally. His paintings have been displayed at the Smithsonian Institute, the British Museum of Natural History, and the Royal Scottish Academy and are currently part of the National Museum of Wildlife Art collection in Jackson, Wyoming, where he remains a recognizable name in the wildlife art arena. Zimmerman’s profile of spectacled eiders was published in a Ducks Unlimited Canada portfolio featuring the top 30 internationally known waterfowl artists, and his oil painting capturing a great-horned owl surrounded by crows in Mammoth Cave National Park was one of the top 100 paintings selected for the National Parks Foundation Arts for the Parks touring exhibition in 1989. Many of Zimmerman’s paintings have been featured on wine labels from Oliver Winery in Bloomington, Indiana, in promotional material for Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc., and in numerous magazines, including Audubon, National Wildlife, and Ducks Unlimited. His works have been and continue to be displayed in museums, galleries, and private collections from New York to San Francisco to Wausau, Wisconsin—at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum--and everywhere in between.

Zimmerman currently has an entire wing dedicated to his life and work in the Brown County Art Gallery in his hometown of Nashville, IN. Zimmerman’s artwork has been praised by his peers and contemporaries in the wildlife art and biology fields. Roger Tory Peterson referred to Zimmerman as one of America’s premier wildlife artists, Ruthven considered his talent unequaled, and ornithology experts from the Smithsonian Institute and Cornell Lab hailed him as one of the finest in his field and even likened his work to that of Audubon himself. It can be said that Zimmerman’s artwork has touched many lives and genuinely made people feel closer to the natural world around them—something he set out to achieve with each brush stroke. He was especially proud of his deep Indiana roots and of being not only able to bring out the beauty of Indiana’s wildlife in his art, but also to show it off for his fellow Indiana residents and the rest of the world to see and appreciate.