The America of Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), was born in Solingen, Germany. He was only two years old when his family emigrated to New Bedford, Massachusetts. In 1853, he returned to Germany to study in Düsseldorf, where he honed his technical skills by painting alpine landscapes. After returning to America in 1857, he joined a surveying expedition that allowed him to travel west across the country.
Along the way, Albert Bierstadt took many photographs and sketched the spectacular rock formations which he then painted in his studio in New York. In December 1857, the Boston Athenaeum bought one of his works, "the Portico of Octavia in Rome", which launched his career.
Albert Bierstadt gained international recognition for his landscapes of the American West. His works sold for incredibly high prices for the time. His popularity and wealth soared, only to fade away in favor of public interest in the Boston School and Impressionism.
Albert Bierstadt died suddenly in 1902 and his memory faded into oblivion until the 1960s. With renewed attention in the preservation of the territories in the United States, his paintings are now experiencing a resurgence of interest.
Dans ses conférences d'histoire de l'art, Fabrice Roy conjugue le passé au présent, dans une évocation poétique et ludique du 19ème siècle français...
