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Benjamin West

Benjamin West (1738 - 1820) was active/lived in Pennsylvania / United Kingdom, England.  Benjamin West is known for History, allegorical, religious and portrait paintings.

America's most famous successful expatriate painter and described as the "father of American painting" (Zellman, 55) Benjamin West became the first American artist to gain international fame.  He was known for his large-scale and realistic historical genre paintings.

West was born near Springfield, Pennsylvania, near the future location of Swathmore College.  Supposedly, he first learned pigment making from local Indians.  William Williams, an English portrait painter living in Philadelphia, was probably his first teacher.

West's father was an innkeeper, and as a youngster, West began sketching many of the people who passed through his home.  As a teenager, he was painting portraits in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and by age 20, had finished his first history painting, The Death of Socrates.

Sensing his exceptional talent, a group of local persons raised money to send him abroad with the goal of making him America's first professional painte   ...  [Displaying 1000 of 6861 characters.]  Artist bio

Artist auction records

.  askART's database currently holds 200 auction lots for Benjamin West (of which 167 auction records sold and 3 are upcoming at auction.)

Artist artworks for sale and wanted

.  There are 2 artworks for sale on our website by galleries and art dealers . There are 7 galleries and art dealers listing works of art by Benjamin West as either "Wanted" or "For Sale" .

Research resources

.  askART lists Benjamin West in 2 of its research Essays. Benjamin West has 12 artist signature examples available in our database.

Similar artists

.  There are 24 similar (related) artists for Benjamin West available:    John Singleton Copley,  Rembrandt Peale,  Thomas Cowperthwaite Eakins,  Eastman Johnson,  Thomas Sully,  Ralph Earl,  John Frederick Kensett,  Severin Roesen,  Elihu Vedder,  William Michael Harnett,  Thomas Cole,  William Morris Hunt,  John Frederick Peto,  John Singer Sargent,  Worthington (Thomas) Whittredge,  William Merritt Chase,  Theodore Robinson,  Jasper Francis Cropsey,  Augustus Saint-Gaudens,  Sanford Robinson Gifford,  John La Farge,  William James Glackens,  J Alden Weir,  Charles Henry Demuth