Charles A. (Charlie) Beil

Canadian [1894-1976]

Charles A. (Charlie) Beil was born in Germany in 1894. As a youngster, he assisted his blacksmith father by pumping bellows. After leaving Germany in 1906, Beil was itinerant for quite some time, taking on work (and adventure) where he could find it. He worked as a Captain’s Boy for two years on a sailing ship, jumping ship in Argentina, where he spent some time working with gauchos. He would eventually make his way north. As he did, he took on a variety of jobs: He built highways; drove mule and oxen; rode rough string for the California ranching outfit Miller and Lux; and joined the U.S. Cavalry. By about 1920, he had worked his way to Montana. 

In 1921, Beil met artist Charles Marion Russell, while working in the vicinity of Glacier National Park as a guide. He developed a friendship with Charlie and Nancy Russell (in Great Falls), who encouraged the mostly self-taught artist. Charlie Russell was a mentor to Beil and became a major influence on his work. Upon Russell’s death, Beil led Russell’s horse in his funeral and helped design and carve his tombstone. He remained to assist Nancy until 1929, helping with unfinished bronzes and paintings left behind by Russell.

In the early 1930s, while working on a guest ranch in Montana, Beil met the prominent Brewster family of Banff. He would maintain a close relationship with the family for the rest of his life. Beil moved to Banff in 1934, where he established a studio on Bear Street. Here he produced murals, dioramas, and bronze sculptures, with regular exhibitions and commissions in Calgary. 

Beil became “Banff’s Cowboy Artist”, recognized for his sculptures of the early West and cowboy life. Beil regularly produced sculptures as rodeo trophies for the Calgary Stampede. He also worked on one of the largest public sculpture projects in Canada, the Prehistoric Park at the Calgary Zoo (which was originally located on the west end of St. George’s Island). 

Beil received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Calgary in 1968, is an honorary member of the Cowboy Artists of America, and an honorary associate director of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. He was named to the Order of Canada in 1973. In 1980, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies held a special exhibit to honour the work and legacy of Charlie Beil.