James Bama was born in Washington Heights, New York, in 1926. Before joining the U.S. Army, he attended the High School of Music and Art in New York City. During his military service, he worked as a muralist, physical training instructor, and mechanic. Upon his discharge, he enrolled in various art courses at the Art Students League in New York City. 

In 1951, Bama accepted an illustrator position at Charles E. Cooper Studios. During his 15-year tenure at the studio, he produced numerous paperback book and magazine covers and worked closely with the National Football and Baseball Halls of Fame. He served as the official artist of the New York Giants, painted the movie poster for Cool Hand Luke, and created advertisements for clients like Coca-Cola and General Electric. As a professional illustrator, he also developed the box art for Aurora monster model kits, making the accompanying artwork for kits like The Mummy, Dracula, King Kong, and Frankenstein.

In 1968, Bama and his wife relocated to Cody, Wyoming, after visiting Bob Meyers’ ranch. Over the next three years, he began painting Western Art scenes while maintaining his freelance illustration career. He ended his commercial illustration career in 1971, focusing on his western-inspired art full-time. Over the next 50 years, he executed hundreds of paintings and prints exploring Western themes, faithfully depicting life in the American West. He died in 2022. 

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James Bama was a prolific artist, producing thousands of paintings, preparatory sketches, drawings, and various prints during his long artistic career. Common motifs within his practice include portraits of Native Americans, cowboys, fur traders, and scenes of western life. As a commercial illustrator, he produced art depicting a variety of subjects. 

Bama’s style was often representational, realistic, highly detailed, and remarkably accurate. While not an organized art movement, he was one of many artists who moved west to create western-inspired art in the 1960s to 1980s. 

Original Bama works are occasionally available on the market. When considering any original work of art, always seek information regarding the object's provenance, authenticity, and attribution. Prints and reproductions of Bama's work are widely available. Generally speaking, these prints' value depends on the printmaker, condition, quality, and edition size. Commercial items bearing his artwork, like model kit boxes and books, vary significantly in value and should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. 

There is currently no catalogue raisonné of Bama’s work. 

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Books and Periodicals

The Art of James Bama by Elmer Kelton. 

James Bama: American Realist by Brian M. Kane. 

The Western Art of James Bama by James Bama.

Web Resources

‘He was truly so talented’ - Artist James Bama remembered by friends. www.codyenterprise.com. 

James Bama. www.centerofthewest.org.  

James Bama. www.renjeau.com.