Vivid Audubon prints will help usher in spring at IMA

Some of the most celebrated wildlife images in U.S. history will be displayed this spring and summer at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

“Drawn to Nature,” a collection of 75 John James Audubon bird prints, will open April 1 in several galleries at the IMA. The exhibit’s final day is July 30.

Audubon made his mark in ornithology by documenting birds in drawings and field notes while living on the U.S. frontier more than 175 years ago.

The “Drawn to Nature” pieces are associated with Audubon’s iconic book “The Birds of America,” which featured hand-colored prints made from engraved plates.

Published in segments from 1827 to 1838, “The Birds of America” earned the title of “world’s most expensive published book” in 2010, when one copy sold for more than $10 million at a London auction.

In his dual roles of naturalist and artist, Audubon made vivid representations of owls, herons, pelicans, flamingos and other birds.

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One of his non-bird prints, “Hare-Indian Dog,” is presently on display at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art as part of an exhibit titled “Dogs: Faithful & True.”

Previous Audubon shows in Indianapolis include 1991's "Audubon's Animals and Birds" at the National Art Museum of Art and 1999's "John James Audubon's Birds of America" at Conner Prairie history museum.

Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.