Bjorn Egeli
Encyclopedia
Herbjorn Peter Egeli (born November 15, 1900 in Horten
, Norway
, died October 20, 1984, in Valley Lee, Maryland
, United States) was a Norwegian artist.
, county of Telemark
, was not the first artist in his family. A great-great-uncle, Tor Sveinsen Øykjelie (1825–1882), was a well-known rosepainter who eventually emigrated to Wisconsin
, USA.
.
In 1932 he returned to Norway to be united with his brothers and uncle for a short visit. His mother, Mathilde had died on May 17, 1921 At the time of his last visit to Norway, he considered America his home, having become a US citizen in 1921. Later that year he married Lois Baldwin, a fellow student at the Corcoran. They would eventually have five children, Peter Egeli, Cedric Egeli, Bjorn James Egeli, Mary Lois Ekroos, and Carolyn Egeli, all of whom pursued careers as professional artists.
Egeli's success at the Corcoran and his many successful commissions resulted in a one-man exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Gallery of Art in early 1936. The exhibit of 34 portraits launched his career. Over the next nearly fifty years he continued to paint portraits. This includes two U.S. Presidents (Richard M. Nixon and Dwight D. Eisenhower for the Capitol Hill Club,) several Supreme Court Justices (Melville Weston Fuller & James Clark McReynolds), leaders in medicine (Mayo Brothers, Charles Horace Mayo and William James Mayo for the Mayo Clinic, and Paul Henry Streit for Walter Reed Army Institute of Research), industrialists (Lamont DuPont for DuPont, among others), military leaders (Gen. Maxwell Taylor and Gen. Douglas MacArthur and others), political leaders (Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Thomas Hunter Lowe and others) and educators (Canon Albert H. Lucas, of St. Alban’s School in Washington, DC, and Pierre Samuel DuPont of the University of Delaware).
Late in his life, Egeli turned his attention again to the sea and resumed painting maritime subjects including some of the ships he had once sailed. Egeli died at his home in Valley Lee, Maryland on October 20, 1984 at the age of 83.
Horten
is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the villages of Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum, and Nykirke....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, died October 20, 1984, in Valley Lee, Maryland
Valley Lee, Maryland
Valley Lee is an unincorporated community in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. The St. George's Episcopal Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Another landmark of Valley Lee is the 100 year old Russells Store, a country store, barber/beautyshop, and...
, United States) was a Norwegian artist.
Early life
Herbjorn Peter Egeli was the oldest of the three sons of Even Egeli (1874–1915) and Josefine Mathilde Wennerstrom (1875–1921). He had traditional schooling with additional art classes and wood-carving taught by his uncle, Hermann Ekeli (1885–1946) (the various family branches spelt the name either Ekeli or Egeli). Bjorn, who on his paternal grandfather's side descended from Haukeli in VinjeVinje
Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.-Name:...
, county of Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
, was not the first artist in his family. A great-great-uncle, Tor Sveinsen Øykjelie (1825–1882), was a well-known rosepainter who eventually emigrated to Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, USA.
Move to the United States
Egeli, who later dropped "Her" from his name, left Norway after the death of his father in 1915. It was the custom for young men to be on their own when coming to the confirmation age of 15 and so Egeli left to join the crew of a sailing ship out of OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
Education
After seven years at sea, during which time he painted maritime subjects and made ship models, he came to the United States in 1923 and entered Brooklyn Art School in New York. Later after another period at sea, in 1924, he entered the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC. There he studied under Richard S. Meryman, Eugene Weisz and S. Burtis Baker. From 1927-1929 he continued to study at the Corcoran where he won prizes and in 1932 he won the Corcoran Galley Biennial most popular picture award. Early in his studies, his teachers noted Egeli's ability. This recognition earned him commissions from members of the community who came to the Corcoran to purchase paintings. One of his earliest works was a mural in one of the early houses in Chevy Chase. Egeli did a painting of a medieval chase scene that showed the huntsmen leaving the castle, then pursuing a stag and finally, returning with it at the end of the day. Another project was a series of woodcuts for two books of poems (1932 & 1933) by Tom Sweeney.Career
The public quickly became aware of Egeli's talents, especially in portraiture. The list of commissions from the Washington area began to grow. Egeli at first used a room in the basement of the Corcoran as a studio.In 1932 he returned to Norway to be united with his brothers and uncle for a short visit. His mother, Mathilde had died on May 17, 1921 At the time of his last visit to Norway, he considered America his home, having become a US citizen in 1921. Later that year he married Lois Baldwin, a fellow student at the Corcoran. They would eventually have five children, Peter Egeli, Cedric Egeli, Bjorn James Egeli, Mary Lois Ekroos, and Carolyn Egeli, all of whom pursued careers as professional artists.
Egeli's success at the Corcoran and his many successful commissions resulted in a one-man exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Gallery of Art in early 1936. The exhibit of 34 portraits launched his career. Over the next nearly fifty years he continued to paint portraits. This includes two U.S. Presidents (Richard M. Nixon and Dwight D. Eisenhower for the Capitol Hill Club,) several Supreme Court Justices (Melville Weston Fuller & James Clark McReynolds), leaders in medicine (Mayo Brothers, Charles Horace Mayo and William James Mayo for the Mayo Clinic, and Paul Henry Streit for Walter Reed Army Institute of Research), industrialists (Lamont DuPont for DuPont, among others), military leaders (Gen. Maxwell Taylor and Gen. Douglas MacArthur and others), political leaders (Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Thomas Hunter Lowe and others) and educators (Canon Albert H. Lucas, of St. Alban’s School in Washington, DC, and Pierre Samuel DuPont of the University of Delaware).
Late in his life, Egeli turned his attention again to the sea and resumed painting maritime subjects including some of the ships he had once sailed. Egeli died at his home in Valley Lee, Maryland on October 20, 1984 at the age of 83.
Literature
- Øykjelieslekta, a genealogical survey by Gunnlaug Haugarne Stølen, published in Bygdemellom, Sullamrei Historielag (Historical Society), 2002, pp. 5–19.