Robert Koehler
Encyclopedia
Robert Koehler was a German
-born painter
and art teacher who spent most of his career in the United States of America
.
; his family spelled their name Köhler until they moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1854. There he attended the historic German-English Academy
. He graduated from the academy in 1865, but continued his lessons with the school's drawing master, Henry Vianden
, who had graduated from Munich's Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He apprenticed himself to a lithography
firm.
In 1871, he went to New York City
for eye surgery, and stayed to work as a lithographer. After studying drawing in the night classes of the National Academy of Design
, Koehler went to Munich
to study fine art at the Royal Academy in 1873, studying with Karl von Piloty
and Ludwig Thiersch
. He returned to New York after two years because of depleted funds. In 1879, he was able to return to Munich with means furnished by George Ehret, of New York, whose attention had been drawn to the young artists's ambition and capabilities. On his second trip, he studied under Ludwig Löfftz
and Franz Defregger
. His friendships with William Merritt Chase
and Frank Duveneck
date from this time.
Koehler's work while in Munich won him silver and bronze awards from the Academy, and Bavaria
's Cross of the Order of St. Michael. Koehler then set himself up as head of a private art school; pupils included Alfons Mucha
.
He began to exhibit in the National Academy, New York, in 1877. In 1885 he took charge of a private school of art in that city. He organized the American department of the international art exhibition at Munich in 1883, and was appointed by the Bavarian authorities to act in the same capacity in the exhibition of 1888.
In 1892 Robert Koehler returned to New York City to work as a portrait artist. The following year he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
, accepting an offer to be the director of the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts (now the Minneapolis College of Art and Design). Koehler was also involved with the establishment of Minneapolis' Museum of Fine Art, now the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
. He was a pioneer of art instruction and appreciation in the region.
Koehler was president of the Minnesota State Art Commission from 1903 to 1910, member of the Artists' League of Minneapolis, honorary member of the Minnesota State Art Society, honorary member of the Alumni Association of the Minneapolis School of Art, member of the Society of Western Artists
, and member of the Institute des Beaux Arts et des Lettres of Paris
, France
. He received bronze and silver medals at the Munich Academy, honorable mention at the Paris World's Fair, 1889, bronze medal at the International Art Exhibition at Buenos Aires in 1910, and the cross of the Order of Saint Michael of Bavaria in 1888.
Koehler continued working in Minneapolis, painting portraits and landscapes, teaching painting, and arranging exhibitions. He retired as director in 1914. He died suddenly in Minneapolis from a heart attack
at age 66.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and art teacher who spent most of his career in the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
Koehler was born in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
; his family spelled their name Köhler until they moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1854. There he attended the historic German-English Academy
University School of Milwaukee
The University School of Milwaukee is a private pre-kindergarten through secondary preparatory school located on in River Hills and Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
. He graduated from the academy in 1865, but continued his lessons with the school's drawing master, Henry Vianden
Henry Vianden
Heinrich Vianden, better known as Henry Vianden , was a German American, lithographer and engraver. He was nicked „The Bear“ by his friends and is often considered as "father of Wisconsin art".- Biography :Vianden was born in Poppelsdorf, today a quarter of Bonn...
, who had graduated from Munich's Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He apprenticed himself to a lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
firm.
In 1871, he went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for eye surgery, and stayed to work as a lithographer. After studying drawing in the night classes of the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
, Koehler went to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
to study fine art at the Royal Academy in 1873, studying with Karl von Piloty
Karl von Piloty
Karl Theodor von Piloty was a German painter.Von Piloty was born in Munich. His father, Ferdinand Piloty , enjoyed a great reputation as a lithographer. In 1840, Karl was admitted as a student of the Munich Academy, under the artists Karl Schorn and Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld...
and Ludwig Thiersch
Ludwig Thiersch
Ludwig Thiersch was a German painter, primarily of mythological and religious subjects and especially of ecclesiastical art, also influential in Greece.-Early life:...
. He returned to New York after two years because of depleted funds. In 1879, he was able to return to Munich with means furnished by George Ehret, of New York, whose attention had been drawn to the young artists's ambition and capabilities. On his second trip, he studied under Ludwig Löfftz
Ludwig Löfftz
Ludwig Löfftz was a German genre and landscape painter.- Biography :He was born at Darmstadt. He was a pupil of August von Kreling and Karl Raupp at Nuremberg, then of Wilhelm von Diez at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, where he became professor in 1879, and of which he was director between 1891...
and Franz Defregger
Franz Defregger
Franz Defregger was an Austrian artist known mostly for his genre and history paintings....
. His friendships with William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase was an American painter known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons The New School for Design.- Early life and training :He was born in Williamsburg , Indiana, to the family...
and Frank Duveneck
Frank Duveneck
Frank Duveneck was an American figure and portrait painter.-Youth:Duveneck was born in Covington, Kentucky, the son of German immigrant Bernard Decker. Decker died when Frank was only a year old and his widow remarried Joseph Duveneck...
date from this time.
Koehler's work while in Munich won him silver and bronze awards from the Academy, and Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
's Cross of the Order of St. Michael. Koehler then set himself up as head of a private art school; pupils included Alfons Mucha
Alfons Mucha
Alfons Maria Mucha , known in English as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist, known best for his distinct style. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and designs.-Early years:...
.
He began to exhibit in the National Academy, New York, in 1877. In 1885 he took charge of a private school of art in that city. He organized the American department of the international art exhibition at Munich in 1883, and was appointed by the Bavarian authorities to act in the same capacity in the exhibition of 1888.
In 1892 Robert Koehler returned to New York City to work as a portrait artist. The following year he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, accepting an offer to be the director of the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts (now the Minneapolis College of Art and Design). Koehler was also involved with the establishment of Minneapolis' Museum of Fine Art, now the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is a fine art museum located in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, on a campus that covers nearly 8 acres , formerly Morrison Park...
. He was a pioneer of art instruction and appreciation in the region.
Koehler was president of the Minnesota State Art Commission from 1903 to 1910, member of the Artists' League of Minneapolis, honorary member of the Minnesota State Art Society, honorary member of the Alumni Association of the Minneapolis School of Art, member of the Society of Western Artists
Society of Western Artists
The Society of Western Artists refers to two distinct and wholly unrelated organizations in the history of American art:*Society of Western Artists *Society of Western Artists...
, and member of the Institute des Beaux Arts et des Lettres of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He received bronze and silver medals at the Munich Academy, honorable mention at the Paris World's Fair, 1889, bronze medal at the International Art Exhibition at Buenos Aires in 1910, and the cross of the Order of Saint Michael of Bavaria in 1888.
Koehler continued working in Minneapolis, painting portraits and landscapes, teaching painting, and arranging exhibitions. He retired as director in 1914. He died suddenly in Minneapolis from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at age 66.
Works
- “Holy-day Occupation” (1881, at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsPennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsThe Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
) - “Her Only Support” (1882)
- “The Socialist,” a German agitator delivering a harangue (1883)
- “The Strike,” a large composition (1886, at the Public Library Gallery at Minneapolis)
- “Portrait of Alvina Roosen” (c. 1900)
- “Rainy Evening on Hennepin Avenue” (c. 1902)
- “Study Head” (Minneapolis Institute of Arts)
- “Violet” (Minneapolis Athletic Club)
- “Portrait of Dean Wulling” (State University of Minnesota)
- “The Carpenter's Family”
- “The Family Bible”
- “Salve Luna”
- a portrait at the Public Library at Alexandria, MinnesotaAlexandria, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 8,820 people, however the most recent count suggests a population upwards of 10,000, which is displayed on Alexandria's city limits signs. The census lists 4,047 households, and 2,011 families residing in the city. The population density was 992.5 people per...
- a portrait at the Memorial Library at Blue Earth, MinnesotaBlue Earth, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 3,621 people, 1,535 households, and 925 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,137.0 people per square mile . There were 1,666 housing units at an average density of 523.1 per square mile...