Through the Roaring Twenties and the first half of the Great Depression, the Swedish-born landscape painter Gunnar Widforss (1879-1934) focused his discerning eye and passionate energy on the national parks of the American West. Because of Widforss’ untimely death at only age 55, and because the rise of modernism in the early-twentieth century consigned many highly skilled realistic painters to obscurity, Widforss’ legacy is largely unknown today. The amiable Swede led a bohemian life in search of beautiful landscapes to paint. Widforss dressed formally as he worked and always attracted wonder-struck onlookers when he painted in Yosemite Valley, on the rim of Grand Canyon and the other locations he favored in the national parks. Park Service friends such as Ansel Hall and Stephen Mather aswell as tourists marveled at the accuracy of his painting and the way in which he was able to capture the dramatic landscapes. The Swedish painter’s watercolors were instrumental in helping to market Stephen Mather’s vision for the national parks and the newly established National Park Service. Widforss never resorted to sentimental or romanticized depictions, so prevalent in depictions of western subjects. He very well may be viewed as one of the greatest artists to paint the West and his obscurity is a paradox. The story of Widforss’ life and work is one of great triumph in realistic painting, and the tragedy of his anonymity and death is a compelling story of a Swedish expatriate who fell in love with the landscapes of the American West.

Today, Widforss’ work is known only to a small number of dedicated collectors, the descendants of his family and friends, and those who discover his gem-like paintings when they visit the national parks he depicted.

Curator and author Alan Petersen published a catalogue raisonné of Widforss’ works in 2020 and is nearing completion of a monograph on the artist’s fascinating life and work. The catalogue raisonné can be accessed at www.gunnarwidforss.org.

Alan Petersen – A Brief Biography

Alan Petersen, Curator of Fine Arts for the Museum of Northern Arizona, worked on the South Rim of Grand Canyon for three years before moving to Flagstaff in 1980 to attend Northern Arizona University. Alan has curated exhibitions of work by such notable artists as Gunnar Widforss, Joella Jean Mahoney, Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton, Merrill Mahaffey, Bruce Aiken, Ed Mell, and Curt Walters, among many others.

In 2020, Alan published the Gunnar Widforss Catalogue Raisonné, which currently lists more than 1,200 works by the Swedish-American painter.  Currently, he is seeking a publisher for his monograph on Widforss’ life and art. In 2018, he co-curated an exhibition of the artist’s work in collaboration with the Ljunbergmuseet in Sweden. It was the first exhibition of Widforss’ work in Sweden since 1947.