Without a doubt, one of the most legendary bulls ever to be ridden at the Calgary Stampede rodeo was Outlaw—so famous in his time, in fact, that he was the first ever animal to ever open or close the New York Stock Exchange in 2024.
He was ridden 71 times, and only one bull rider was ever able to complete the full eight seconds, adding to his legend.
His ability to toss riders was immortalized in a commissioned painting by Don Ozele in 2009, that would become the basis for the Calgary Stampede’s 2010 poster.
At the time the paintings were auctioned off to provide funds for the Calgary Stampede’s Western Showcase Committee, now known as the Art Committee, said Jessica Smallman, Curatorial Specialist for the Sam Centre.
“We do have a lot of posters, but we don’t have a lot of the fine art pieces that accompany them. So, to add this in is just like a wonderful piece to give more insight into the culture of stampede,” she said.
On Oct. 24, John Anderson, whose father purchased the painting, donated Outlaw back to the Calgary Stampede, saying that the decision to do so was a simple one.
“My dad was a real philanthropic guy in this city, and he always liked to give back to his community. I use this facility here at Stampede every year to run our big horse show, Royal West,” he said.
“It was actually a night a few days after our daughter, Reagan Rose, was born. My wife and I were looking at that painting and just kind of said, ‘you know, it belongs at Stampede.'”
Anderson said returning the painting to the Stampede meant that more than just his family would get to see the painting.
Outlaw is set to be part of the Sam Centre’s display of Stampede poster artworks in Branded: The Art of Calgary Stampede Posters until January 2026, where it will then become a permanently installed work of art in the Nutrien Event Centre.
“Art and music have always been a part of Stampede. People don’t know that. So to add this in really showcases not only do we have this art aspect to us, but it’s a great artifact to tell a whole story about people, animals, and what the stampede does,” said Smallman.
