Max Weyl
Encyclopedia
Max Weyl was a prominent Washington, D.C. artist of the late 19th century known especially for his landscapes of Rock Creek Park and the Potomac River.
, where Weyl worked in watch and clock repair, a trade he had learned through an early apprenticeship. In 1857, he moved to Washington, D.C. and became a jeweler with a retail store on 7th Street NW in a building that still stands and currently is used as a "Ruby Tuesday" restaurant across from the Verizon Center. Weyl began to paint as a hobby and displayed some of his works in his shop window. Weyl also was active in the then-small Washington Jewish community.
In the 1870s, local businessman, Samuel H. Kauffman, publisher of the Evening Star newspaper, took noontime walks on 7th Street and observed Weyl's paintings on display in the shop window. Kauffman purchased some of Weyl's works and became his patron, financing a trip for Weyl to study art professionally in Europe.
In 1878, under Kauffman's patronage, Weyl undertook a year of study abroad, visiting studios and galleries in Munich, Paris, Vienna and Venice. After his return to Washington, he and a group of fellow artists formed the "Washington Landscape School", resulting in paintings "plein air" paintings of Washington pastoral scene.
Weyl came to be called the "American Daubigny
" and his works became very popular among Washington art collectors. His work became part of collections including the White House where purchases were made by Mrs. Grover Cleveland and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Georgetown University
, the Virginia Military Institute
, Kiplinger Washington Editors, the Cosmos Club
and many others.
On Weyl's 70th birthday in 1907, the Corcoran Gallery of Art
held a retrospective exhibit of his work. A group of local citizens purchased and donated a work by him to the National Gallery of Art
. In recognition and praise they stated: "From the standpoint of art you have contributed works of genius that will stand for all time: while your bearing as a man, citizen and friend has been of that modest and yet far-reaching character that wins the love and retains the esteem of those with whom you have come in contact."
Weyl died in 1914. His great-grandson, Christopher Wolf, has a large collection of Weyl's works and continues to live in Washington, DC as a fourth-generation Washingtonian.
Biography
He was born on December 1, 1837, in Muhlen-am-Neckar, Germany. In 1853 his family emigrated to Williamsport, PennsylvaniaWilliamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...
, where Weyl worked in watch and clock repair, a trade he had learned through an early apprenticeship. In 1857, he moved to Washington, D.C. and became a jeweler with a retail store on 7th Street NW in a building that still stands and currently is used as a "Ruby Tuesday" restaurant across from the Verizon Center. Weyl began to paint as a hobby and displayed some of his works in his shop window. Weyl also was active in the then-small Washington Jewish community.
In the 1870s, local businessman, Samuel H. Kauffman, publisher of the Evening Star newspaper, took noontime walks on 7th Street and observed Weyl's paintings on display in the shop window. Kauffman purchased some of Weyl's works and became his patron, financing a trip for Weyl to study art professionally in Europe.
In 1878, under Kauffman's patronage, Weyl undertook a year of study abroad, visiting studios and galleries in Munich, Paris, Vienna and Venice. After his return to Washington, he and a group of fellow artists formed the "Washington Landscape School", resulting in paintings "plein air" paintings of Washington pastoral scene.
Weyl came to be called the "American Daubigny
Charles-François Daubigny
Charles-François Daubigny was one of the painters of the Barbizon school, and is considered an important precursor of Impressionism....
" and his works became very popular among Washington art collectors. His work became part of collections including the White House where purchases were made by Mrs. Grover Cleveland and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, the Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
, Kiplinger Washington Editors, the Cosmos Club
Cosmos Club
The Cosmos Club is a private social club in Washington, D.C., founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878. In addition to Powell, original members included Clarence Edward Dutton, Henry Smith Pritchett, William Harkness, and John Shaw Billings. Among its stated goals is "The advancement of its members in...
and many others.
On Weyl's 70th birthday in 1907, the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
held a retrospective exhibit of his work. A group of local citizens purchased and donated a work by him to the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
. In recognition and praise they stated: "From the standpoint of art you have contributed works of genius that will stand for all time: while your bearing as a man, citizen and friend has been of that modest and yet far-reaching character that wins the love and retains the esteem of those with whom you have come in contact."
Weyl died in 1914. His great-grandson, Christopher Wolf, has a large collection of Weyl's works and continues to live in Washington, DC as a fourth-generation Washingtonian.
External links
- WEYL, MAX at www.fineartstrader.com
- Pierce Galleries - Max Weyl at www.piercegalleries.com
- JewishEncyclopedia.com - WEYL, MAX: at www.jewishencyclopedia.com