Zimmerman, the artist
Welcome to the life and legacy of William H. "Bill" Zimmerman (1937–2011), an Indiana native, self-taught ornithologist, and one of the state's premier wildlife artists. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, Zimmerman became known nationally and internationally for his meticulously detailed, scientifically accurate, and deeply felt depictions of North American birds and wildlife — and for his tireless advocacy on behalf of the landscapes that inspired him.
Bill Zimmerman
National & International Recognition
Zimmerman's work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution, the British Museum of Natural History, and the Royal Scottish Academy, and is held in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming. His paintings have appeared in Audubon, National Wildlife, and Ducks Unlimited magazines, on Oliver Winery labels, and in Wild Birds Unlimited promotional materials. In 1989, his oil painting of a great-horned owl at Mammoth Cave National Park was selected among the Top 100 for the National Parks Foundation's Arts for the Parks touring exhibition. Today, an entire wing of the Brown County Art Gallery in his hometown of Nashville, Indiana, is dedicated to his life and work.
His Legacy
Roger Tory Peterson called him one of America's premier wildlife artists. John Ruthven considered his talent unequaled. Experts at the Smithsonian and Cornell Lab of Ornithology likened his work to Audubon's own. But William Zimmerman was, first and always, an Indiana artist — proud of his roots, and devoted to showing the world the beauty of the wildlife in his own backyard. This site is maintained by his family in his memory, to keep that work — and that devotion — alive for the next generation of collectors and nature lovers.
The Artist's Journey
A Young Artist Finds His Subject
Zimmerman's love of nature and art took root early, growing up in Dearborn County, Indiana, where he began modeling his depictions of wild birds after the work of naturalist and painter John James Audubon. He had no formal art training when, at just 17, he sold his first paintings — reinterpretations of plates from Audubon's Birds of America — in an exhibition at the A.B. Closson Gallery in Cincinnati. He went on to study at the Cincinnati Art Academy and worked as art director for the Gibson Greeting Card Company, but his passion for wildlife painting soon pulled him away from a conventional career and toward the life of a full-time artist.
Waterfowl of North America
Zimmerman traveled extensively — to Alaska, Latin America, and Africa — to research his subjects firsthand, and spent several summers honing his craft in Jackson, Wyoming. There he collaborated with fellow Cincinnati artist John A. Ruthven on Top Flite: Speed Index to Waterfowl Identification. In 1974, after seven years devoted almost exclusively to large-format paintings, he published his life's major work: Waterfowl of North America, an elephant-folio, leather-bound edition depicting all 42 species of geese, ducks, and swans found in North America. Of the 1,000 copies printed, all sold out almost immediately at $1,000 each. The book — and Zimmerman — were featured on The Today Show and in The New York Times, and the original paintings remain among his most important works, exhibited in museums and galleries across the US and UK.
The Birds of Indiana
Zimmerman became the quintessential Indiana naturalist-artist through his 175 illustrations for The Birds of Indiana(Charles E. Keller and Russell E. Mumford, Indiana University Press, 1984) — a collector's classic later proclaimed a state treasure by the Governor of Indiana and reprinted to acclaim on its 35th anniversary in 2019. Several of the original paintings are on permanent display in the Indiana University Biology Building. The same partnership with Indiana University Press produced The Birds of Illinois, The Birds of Ohio, and The Birds of Kentucky.
Woodpeckers of North America
In 1992, Zimmerman set out to illustrate Arthur Cleveland Bent's classic Life Histories series, beginning with Woodpeckers of North America — 25 species brought to life in vivid, scientifically precise detail, including the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker, long thought extinct. The paintings became part of the Indiana University Art Museum's permanent collection, and his ivory-billed woodpecker painting was later featured in Cornell ornithologist Tim Gallagher's 2005 book The Grail Bird. Illness prevented Zimmerman from completing further volumes in the series.
A Champion of Indiana Conservation
Zimmerman partnered with conservation organizations throughout Indiana, donating his art to raise funds and awareness — including a series of owl paintings for Eagle Creek Park's Celebration of Nature and a collection of 18 paintings for the Indiana State Museum Society depicting wildlife unique to each of Indiana's state parks, still on display today. He also designed Indiana's well-known Conservation Stamp, depicting two baby foxes among trilliums.