King Ranch: A Legacy in Art

Covering 825,000 acres in the Coastal Plain and Brush Country of South Texas, King Ranch, established in 1853, looms large in Texas and American history. Its place in the popular imagination shows through Edna Ferber’s epic 1952 novel Giant, said to be based on the story of the Kings, the Klebergs, and other founding families of the famous ranching dynasty, and the subsequent Hollywood blockbuster starring Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, and Rock Hudson.In King Ranch: A Legacy in Art, editors William E. Reaves and Linda J. Reaves have assembled a team of collaborators to present a beautiful, informative account of the ranch, its human and animal inhabitants, and its place in the artistic heritage of the region. Pairing original paintings by artist Noe Perez with insightful essays from curators and historians Bruce Shackelford and Ron Tyler, this book is a visual and narrative celebration of the many ways in which ‘King Ranch culture’ has enriched and, in some cases, fostered appreciation for the decorative, practical, and fine arts in Texas and the greater American West.

Opening with a foreword by Jamey Clement, current chair of the board for King Ranch, Inc., and continuing with a survey by ranch historian Robert Kinnan, King Ranch: A Legacy in Art affords readers a unique appreciation of the natural beauty and artistic influence of this legendary place.