Albert Bierstadt – 1830-1902

Bierstadt was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, but made his career in America, earning international renown for his epic canvases depicting the wonders of the American West, including (most famously) The Rocky Mountains (1863). Based on sketches he made in the field, the works were painted in his New York studio, became icons of a romantic vision of western magnificence, and earned the artist a fortune.