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Old Timer~1946~oil on canvas~30 x 36 inches~Olaf Carl Wieghorst(1899-1988)For the 1982 Olaf Wieghorst retrospective exhibition at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ginger Renner called him the "Dean of Western painters" and wrote, "In the three generations of artists who have followed [Charles M. Russell] there is one, who, sincerely and with ample justification, can be compared with the great Charlie Russell in this writer's opinion. That artist is Olaf Wieghorst." High praise, indeed, for a self-taught artist who did not see the shores of the United States until age nineteen.Oalf Wieghorst was born April 30, 1899, in the village of Viborg, Jutland, Denmark. He learned the rudiments of painting from his photographer father, but received essentially no formal training in the arts. Olaf also carefully observed cavalry horses at a nearby army garrison and learned how to ride at an early age. As a child, he sneaked into a Wild West Show and later declared western horses his favorite subject and "greatest teacher" throughout his career as an artist. But early in life he was a stage sensation in Copenhagen as "Little Olaf, the Miniature Acrobat." At the same time, young Wieghorst continued his passion for horses, and his talents as a rider were put to use during his teenage years when he performed in Danish "western" films and in the circus.Dreaming always of the American West, Wieghorst sailed for the United States in December of 1918, arriving in New York with no money, no command of the English language, and little more than faith to sustain him. That led him to join the U.S. Army and his equestrian talents landed him with the Cavalry and a post at Fort Bliss, Texas for basic training. After three years of service with the Fifth Cavalry along the Mexican border, Wieghorst was mustered out of the military in June of 1922, and pursued the life of a cowboy, during which he wandered extensively throughout the Southwest, sketching whenever he could.Returning to the East Coast, Wieghorst joined the New York City Police Department, Mounted Division, in 1924. In the 1930s, Wieghorst began developing his art talent in earnest, and set up his own etching studio. After retiring from the NYPD and his Central Park beat, he moved to El Cajon, California, and settled down to paint, steadily gaining recognition for his classic cowboy and indian subjects and became a master painter of the western scene. Arizona Highways devoted its March, 1971, issue to "The Southwest of Olaf Wieghorst", and repeated the honor again in 1974. A retrospective of Wieghorst's work was presented at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1974-75, during which the artist was presented with the Hall of Fame Trustees' Gold Medal. He continued to paint and exhibit his work, and passed away in 1988 at the age of 89.~SLL~signed lower left: O - Wieghorst (with artist's cipher) signed and titled on stretcher bar: "OLD TIMER" (with artist's cipher) by O. Wieghorst inscribed verso: Painted near Las Vegas / Nevada April 1946 / by Olaf Wieghorst / (with the artist's cipher)
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