Joe Ruiz Grandee was born in
Dallas. Two of his uncles had been in the cavalry he became
interested in the history of the West and began a life long
collector of items of the West.
He was to accumulate the one of the nation’s largest private
collection in the country of Indian, cowboy and mountain man
arms, military, uniforms and other objects. He
soon expressed his love of history with his art. He studied at
the Aunspaugh Art School in Dallas. Working from his home in
Arlington, he became a successful painter, sculptor and
illustrator and was chosen the first Texas State Artist of the
Year by the Texas legislature. Grandee traded many painting for
saddles, guns, chaps, Indian relics, uniforms and day-to-day
clothing and utensils all to make his paintings historically
accurate. His dedication won him national acclaim for his
historically accurate depictions of the West.