Albert Bierstadt
1830 ... 1902 · California, the American West and New York
Bierstadt built a California mountain spectacle in a Rome studio, then toured it across Europe before offering it at home. See the documented work.
Biography
Albert Bierstadt came to the United States from Germany when he was two. He learned in New Bedford and Düsseldorf, then joined survey trips west in 1859 and 1863.
The sketches and photographs came home with him. His huge finished canvases were made in the studio, where he could sharpen the light, widen the space and arrange the view for maximum effect.
Bierstadt also knew how to put on a show. Paintings were hidden behind curtains, revealed in dark rooms and promoted like major events. The work and the sales plan were built together.
How Albert Bierstadt Worked
Among the Sierra Nevada, California was painted in Rome, not beside the lake it shows. Bierstadt then sent it through Berlin and London before bringing it to American viewers. The Smithsonian record makes that studio and exhibition journey part of the painting's story.
What Backs This Record
The Smithsonian American Art Museum holds the painting and records Bierstadt's life, travels, studio practice, exhibition history, dimensions, ownership, and object number.
Bierstadt died in 1902, so the work itself is out of copyright. The Smithsonian American Art Museum marks this artwork image free to use.