Biography
Anders Leonard Zorn (February 18, 1860 – August 22, 1920) was a Swedish artist. He attained international success as a painter, sculptor, and etching artist.
Zorn was born and raised on his grandparents’ farm in Yvraden, a hamlet near the village of Utmeland in the parish of Mora, Dalarna. He studied until the age of twelve in the school at Mora Strand before progressing in the autumn of 1872 to a secondary grammar school in Enköping.
From 1875 to 1880, Zorn studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm and his reputation as a talent grew. Members of the Stockholm Society approached him with commissions.
Zorn traveled extensively, to London, Paris, the Balkans, Spain, Italy, and the United States. During the 1890s in Paris, he spent a lot of time with the Finn Albert Edelfelt. He became an international success and one of the most highly regarded painters of his era.
It was primarily his skill as a portrait painter that gained Zorn international acclaim, based principally upon his incisive ability to depict the individual character of his model. His subjects included three American Presidents: Grover Cleveland, William H. Taft, and Theodore Roosevelt.
At the age of 29, he was made a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur at the Exposition Universelle 1889 Paris World Fair.
Nationality:
Swedish
Dates:
February 18, 1860 – August 22, 1920
Occupation:
Painter
Schools attended:
Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, Stockholm