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The Meadowlark
Gallery, Inc. |
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Olaf Wieghorst (1899-1988)
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| Olaf Wieghorst was born in Viborg, Jutland, Denmark, in 1899 and died in 1988. He specialized in horses of the West and was known for as an illustrator and sculptor. Wieghorst was the son of a display artist and photograph retoucher who became an engraver. He was educated in the Copenhagen public schools. Interest in horses developed while he apprenticed in a store and on a farm so he began painting in 1916. While working as a sailor in 1918, he jumped ship in New York City where he enlisted in the U. S. Cavalry for a duty on the Mexican border. During his three years of military service as a horseshoer, he learned rodeoing and trick riding. He was mustered out in Arizona, finding work as a ranch hand on the Quarter Circle 2C Ranch whose brand became Wieghorst's insignia. In 1923, he returned to New York City, graduating from the Police Academy in 1925. Assigned to the Police Show Team of the Mounted Division, Wieghorst began to paint in his spare time. In 1940, he found an agent for his paintings which immediately sold them as calendar art and as Western illlustrations. By 1942, he was receiving commissions for horse portraits and bronzes. In 1944, Wieghorst retired from the Police Department, settling in El Cajon, California in 1945. By 1955, he had a waiting list of buyers. "I try to paint the little natural things, the way a horse turns his tail to the wind on cold nights, the way he flattens his ears in the rain, seasonal changes in the coat of a horse, and psychology of his behavior. Horses have been my life." Reference: Samuels' Encyclopedia Of Artists Of The American West by Peggy and Harold Samuels; Book Sales, Inc., 1985. |
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View high resolution images of works by Olaf Wieghorst
when available.
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From time to time we offer select and very collectable
works by Olaf Wieghorst. Please contact us about works that are currently
available. Our clients prefer to have works that are fresh and not shop
worn on the market. Simply E-mail
us or call us at 1-800-727-3949 and we will provide you with a link
to your private viewing of works currently available by Olaf Wieghorst.
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