Joseph Paul Vorst (June 19, 1897 – October 15, 1947) was a German-American visual artist.

Biography

Vorst was born June 19, 1897, in

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...

, Germany. He studied at the Folkwang Schule in

Hagen Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...

before serving in World War I, from which he received a permanent limp. He studied art at the National Academy of Berlin with

Max Lieberman Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...

and Max Slevogt, and was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1924. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1930, settling in Missouri near his cousins in Ste. Genevieve. He married Lina Weller on June 15, 1935, in St. Louis, Missouri. In the 1930s Vorst was associated with the

Ste. Genevieve Art Colony The Ste. Genevieve Art Colony was an art collective in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. It was founded in 1932 by Aimee Schweig, Bernard E. Peters, and Jessie Beard Rickly. The Ste. Genevieve Summer School of Art was established in 1934. The colony ...

in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. He taught art in St. Louis and did much public work for New Deal art projects during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. Among other locations Vorst was art director at Jefferson College. According to an article on him in the LDS '' Improvement Era'' written by William Mulder he assisted full-time LDS missionaries in St. Louis extensively in sharing the gospel with more people. He exhibited his work in both the Deseret Gym art room and the

Springville Art Museum The Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah, United States is the oldest museum for the visual fine arts in Utah. In 1986, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As of 2012, the museum's director is Rita Wrigh ...

. An exhibition featuring his life and work was hosted by the LDS Church History Museum in 2017/2018 in Salt Lake City, UT.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temples
/ref> Vorst died in Overland, Missouri, on October 15, 1947. His work is in the collection of the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

Gallery

Joseph Vorst - For Thine Is the Kingdom, 1944.jpg, ''For Thine Is the Kingdom'', 1944 Joseph Vorst - Oyster Fishing.jpg, ''Oyster Fishing'' Joseph Vorst - White Gold.jpg, ''White Gold'' Joseph Vorst - Share Cropper's Revolt.jpg, ''Share Cropper's Revolt'' Joseph Vorst - The Talented Son.jpg, ''Joseph Vorst - The Talented Son''

References

External links

* Joseph Vorst o
artnet.com
* Joseph Paul Vorst o
AskART
* Joseph Paul Vorst o
churchofjesuschrist.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vorst, Joseph Paul American muralists 20th-century American painters American male painters Modern painters Section of Painting and Sculpture artists German military personnel of World War I Artists from Essen Painters from St. Louis 1897 births 1947 deaths German emigrants to the United States German Latter Day Saints American Latter Day Saint artists Converts to Mormonism 20th-century American printmakers Latter Day Saints from Missouri 20th-century American male artists