An expert in the observation of nature and animals in their native habitats, Italian artist and illustrator Sergio Budicin was invited to visit the United States in 1970 by a fellow painter, Hungarian Lajos Markos.
 
Markos emigrated to New York following World War II and worked as a successful portrait artist. He later moved to Houston in 1967 to pursue his interest in western art and Texas history.
 
Budicin's talent in rendering animals may have influenced Markos' later portrayal of horses rather than people and may have been the reason Markos invited him to visit. (One of Markos' paintings will be on view this summer in the second of these three exhibitions.)
 
In 1975, just a few years after this visit, Budicin held his first solo exhibition in his home of Trieste, Italy, after which his work became widely exhibited and celebrated, including in the United States.
 
Continue reading to enjoy a reflection by Heritage and Museum Science graduate student Victoria Hutcheson:
 
We can imagine during Budicin's visit to the United States that he saw western art and may have witnessed an actual bison hunt to inspire his composition and subject, which differs from his typical static scenes. 
 
The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, open since the 1920s, is home to both Remington and Russell western paintings and sculptures. Had Budicin visited the museum in 1970, he might have viewed paintings by both artists that depicted Native Americans, such as The Sioux Warriors Attack by Frederic Remington in 1896 and Approach of the White Man by Charles Russell in 1897.
 

View these paintings and learn more at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston's online eMuseum:
 
The Sioux Warriors Attack
 
Approach of the White Man
 
Watch a silent film restaging the 1916 buffalo hunt on the JA Ranch near Palo Duro Canyon: here.

Share your voice to help the Museum create the next long-term exhibition from the Diamond M Collection when it returns in 2024 to the Diamond M galleries. Your responses will be used to explore possible exhibition themes and artworks for future display. 
 
Completing a short survey by clicking here. 
Snap a selfie with your favorite piece and tag it to #museumTTYOU.