Self-portrait (date unknown)
Boys Bathing

Alexander Grinager (January 26, 1865–March 8, 1949) was an American artist most noted for his murals and scenic painting.

Background

Alexander Grinager was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota, the son of Mons and Anna Egge Grinager. His parents had immigrated from the district of Hadeland, Norway. His father was from South Grinager in Tingelstad Parish, his mother from Brandbu, both in Gran municipality in Oppland. Grinager studied in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before going abroad in 1887. From 1887 to 1891, Grinager was a pupil at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he studied with Carl Bloch. He also studied in Paris at the Académie Julian and while in France was particularly influenced by the works of Manet and Monet.[1][2]

Career

In 1896, he moved to Westchester County, New York, remaining there for the remainder of his life. He made his living principally as an easel painter, stage designer, and muralist. In New York he designed and carried out the scenic effects for many productions by Impresario David Belasco. His mural paintings included The Streets of Baghdad which covered one floor of the Grand Central Station. His paintings were frequently exhibited at the Salmagundi Club in New York City between 1908 and 1946.[3][4]

In 1916, he also painted a mural entitled Panorama of the History of the U.S. Navy for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Grinager participated in exhibits of the Minneapolis Art League and the Artists League of Minneapolis between 1887 and 1915. He exhibited at the Minnesota Industrial Exposition in 1891 and in 1893. In 1910, his paintings were exhibited at the Odin Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and at the St. Paul Auditorium. In 1932, he painted murals for the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.[5][6]

Some of his works are held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.[7][8][9][10]

References

  1. ↑ The Letters of Mons H. Grinager: Pioneer Soldier (collected by Per Hvamstad. Norwegian-American Historical Association, Volume 24: Page 29)
  2. ↑ "Minnesota Impressionists (Rena Neumann Coen, Afton Historical Society Press, 1996)". Archived from the original on 2009-03-26. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  3. ↑ Alexander Grinager. 1865-1949 (AskART and Artists' Bluebook)
  4. ↑ Salmagundi Club records, 1878–1947 (Smithsonian Institution)
  5. ↑ Painting by Minnesotans of Norwegian Background, 1870-1970 (Marion John Nelson. Northfield, MN: Norwegian-American Historical Association, 2000)
  6. ↑ Minnesota Painters from Noble Dreams & Simple Pleasures: American Masterworks from Minnesota Collections (Sue Canterbury. Resource Library on March 9, 2009)
  7. ↑ "Boys Bathing, Alexander Grinager ^ Minneapolis Institute of Art". collections.artsmia.org. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
  8. ↑ "Study for "Boys Bathing" and Study of a Horse, Alexander Grinager ^ Minneapolis Institute of Art". collections.artsmia.org. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
  9. ↑ "Study for "Boys Bathing", Alexander Grinager ^ Minneapolis Institute of Art". collections.artsmia.org. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
  10. ↑ "Study for "Boys Bathing", Alexander Grinager ^ Minneapolis Institute of Art". collections.artsmia.org. Retrieved 2018-02-17.

Other sources

  • Conforti, Michael Minnesota 1900: art and life on the upper Mississippi, 1890–1915 (University of Delaware Press. 1994)
  • Gerdts, William H. Art Across America: Two Centuries of Regional Painting, 1710–1920 (New York, NY: Abbeville Press. 1990)
  • Hansen, Carl G.O. My Minneapolis (Minneapolis, MN: Standard Press, 1956)
  • Haugan, Reidar Rye Prominent Artists and Exhibits of Their Work in Chicago (Chicago Norske Klub. Nordmanns-Forbundet, 24: 371–374, Volume 7, 1933)
  • Nelson, Marion Revelations of Light ( Norwegian-American Museum Newsletter. Vol. 24. Summer 1989)
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