Biography

Hafen was born in Scherzingen, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. His parents joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and immigrated to Utah Territory

Utah Territory

The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....

. When they first came to Utah, the family lived in Payson

Payson, Utah

Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,716 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Rick Moore, who in the 2009 election was the first write-in candidate ever to defeat an incumbent mayor in...

. In 1868, Hafen began attending the 20th Ward Academy in Salt Lake City, where one of the main teachers was Karl G. Maeser

Karl G. Maeser

-Brigham Young Academy:When Maeser arrived at Brigham Young Academy in 1876 it was dying. Enrollment had declined since Warren N. Dusenberry had started the school a few months before. There were only 29 students at the time of Maeser's arrival....

. Hafen learned painting from George Ottinger and Dan Weggeland

Dan Weggeland

Danquart Anthon Weggeland is considered the "Father of Utah Art" and was an artist and teacher in the early history of Utah.-Biography:Weggeland was born in the city of Christiansand , Norway...

.

Hafen was one of the founders of the Utah Art Association in 1881.

In 1890, Hafen, Lorus Pratt

Lorus Pratt

Lorus Bishop Pratt was a Latter-day Saint artist and missionary.Pratt served a mission in Pennsylvania for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints starting in 1875...

 and John B. Fairbanks

John B. Fairbanks

John B Fairbanks was a prominent Latter-day Saint artist and the progenitor of many other Utah artists.-Biography:...

 were sent to Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 as art missionaries for the LDS Church. At this point he left his wife, Thora Twede Hafen, and their five children in Springville, Utah

Springville, Utah

Springville is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 20,424 at the 2000 census, while the 2008 estimates placed it at 28,520. Just minutes south of Provo, Springville is a bedroom community for...

. After they completed their studies, the Mormon artists returned to Utah and created murals in the Salt Lake Temple

Salt Lake Temple

The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...

.

After returning from France, Hafen's main focus was on landscape painting. He donated paintings to Springville that were the initial basis of the Springville Art Museum. Hafen had five more children with his wife—the youngest being born in 1904.

Hafen was a professor at Brigham Young Academy, where he developed the art department. He was recruited to come there to do this specifically by Benjamin Cluff

Benjamin Cluff

Benjamin Cluff, Jr. was the first President of Brigham Young University, and the school's third principal. Under his administration, the students and faculty more than doubled in size, and the school went from an academy to a university and was officially incorporated by The Church of Jesus...

. Hafen lived in Springville, in a home designed by Alberto O. Treganza.