Danish Artists of the American West: Olaf Seltzer and Olaf Wieghorst

Authors

Cecilia Ibsen Larsen

Keywords

Danish artists, Old West, Western art

Abstract

If you mix cowboys, Indians, Danes and paint, you come up with two remarkable artists, Olaf Seltzer and Olaf Wieghorst. These two men came to America from Denmark and, after living and working here for numbers of years, produced art that is as American as American art can get. Their subject was the Old West. Although their trips were 27 years apart, both Seltzer and Wieghorst came to America in their teens. Both worked at other occupations until they had developed the skills necessary to survive as artists. Both chose the West as their subject matter; both were named Olaf; and both married girls named Mabel. They came with hope and the dream that somehow America would give them a chance to do what they wanted to do most, paint pictures. They succeeded, but only after spending many years in other occupations, practicing and improving their painting skills in the time left over after regular work was done. Fortunately both lived to a ripe old age, 80 years for Seltzer and 89 for Weighorst, giving them many years to refine and enhance their skills.

Recommended Citation

Larsen, Cecilia Ibsen (1991) "Danish Artists of the American West: Olaf Seltzer and Olaf Wieghorst," The Bridge: Vol. 14: No. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thebridge/vol14/iss1/7