This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Armin Hansen's etchings and paintings of marines, coastal scenes, and the fishing industry of the Monterey Peninsula made him an important figure in American art. He is quoted: "Every move I have made and everything that I have done has always been to go back to the water and to the men who gave its romance. I love them all."
He received his first art instruction from his father, Herman Wendelborg Hansen, 1854 - 1924, the famous painter of the Old West and frontier life. The younger Hansen later studied at Mark Hopkins Institute under Arthur Mathews (1903-06), followed by two years in Stuttgart, Germany at the Royal Academy under Carlos Grethe. After visiting the art centers of Paris, Munich, Holland, and Belgium, Hansen signed on as deckhand to a Norwegian steam trawler, the first of many boats which he would crew during the next four years.
Upon returning to San Francisco in 1912, he taught at UC Berkeley and the California School of Fine Arts. He settled in Monterey in 1913 and taught private classes and was instrumental in forming the Carmel Art Institute.
Hansen maintained a studio-home at 716 Pacific Street until building a home next door to artist Julian Greenwell on El Dorado Street. He lived there until his death on April 23, 1957.
Source:
Thomas Minckler Fine Art
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Rather than take the well trod and fashionable path to Paris for formal training in the arts, Armin Hansen choose to book his passage to Hamburg. There he was close to the roots of his family, both his father and grandfather were trained in the arts in their homeland of Germany. While at the Royal Akademie in Stuttgart, Hansen studied under Carlos Grethe, an important member of the Sezessionist Movement. There he learned to paint from the German Impressionists and developed a style that relied on a dark and more somber palate.
In 1912, after six years abroad, Hansen felt it was time to take his skills back to the states. He returned to San Francisco, where he was born and where his father, Herman Hansen the western painter and illustrator, was still living, and immediately set up a studio. In San Francisco he joined the excitement of the upcoming Panama-Pacific International Exhibition. Scheduled to open in February of 1915 Hansen set to work preparing paintings for submission. At the time of the opening he had six etchings and two paintings submitted. His hard work paid off with two silver medals won for his paintings.
In 1916, Hansen moved his studio south to Monterey. There he painted some of his most memorable and highly sought pieces. Scenes of the sardine industry with Portuguese and Sicilian fisherman going about their trade were some of his favorite subjects. His paintings from Monterey found their way into galleries up and down the coast and, on occasion, in New York. In 1948 he was given full membership into the National Academy of Design.
Source:
Thomas Nygard Gallery
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This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Born in San Francisco, CA on Oct. 23, 1886. Hansen received his first art instruction from his father, Herman, the famous painter of the old West and frontier life. The younger Hansen later studied at the Mark Hopkins Institute under Arthur Mathews during 1903-06 followed by two years in Stuttgart, Germany at the Royal Academy under Carlos Grethe. After visiting the art centers of Paris, Munich, Holland, and Belgium, he signed-on as deckhand to a Norwegian steam trawler, the first of many boats which he would crew during the next four years. Returning to San Francisco in 1912, he taught at UC Berkeley and the CSFA. Settling in Monterey in 1913, he taught private classes and was instrumental in forming the Carmel Art Institute. Hansen had a studio-home at 716 Pacific until building a home next door to artist Julian Greenwell on El Dorado Street. He lived there until his death on April 23, 1957. His seascapes, coastal scenes, and depictions of the fishing industry of the Monterey Peninsula brought him to the pinnacle of fame in American art. He is quoted, "Every move I have made and everything that I have done has always been to go back to the water and to the men who gave it its romance." Member: ANA (1926), NA (1948); Carmel AA (pres. 1934-37, 1948); Salmagundi Club; Société Royale des Beaux Arts (Brussels). Exh: Int'l Expo (Brussels), 1910 (1st prize); Calif. PM, 1910 (gold medal); Helgesen Gallery (SF), 1913, 1916 (solos); PAFA, 1914; PPIE, 1915 (silver medal); SFAA, 1915-25 (silver and gold medals; Oakland Art Gallery, 1917 (solo); Print Rooms (SF), 1920 (solo); NAD, 1920 (prize), 1925 (prize); LACMA, 1923 (prize); Painters of the West (LA), 1924-25 (gold medal); Smithsonian Inst., 1928 (solo); Calif. WC Society, 1930; De Young Museum, 1932 (solo); Grafton Gallery (SF), 1934; Penthouse Gallery (SF), 1934 (solo); Paris, 1938 (gold medal); GGIE, 1939; Chicago Society of Etchers, 1947 (1st prize); CPLH, 1957 (solo); Oakland Museum, 1959 (solo), 1981; Monterey Peninsula Museum, 1986, 1993 (solos). In: SFMA; De Young Museum; Monterey Peninsula Museum; San Diego Museum; LACMA; Oakland Museum; Library of Congress; Newark Museum; NY Public Library; Cleveland Museum; Harrison Library (Carmel); NAD. | Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
Art in California (R. L. Bernier, 1916); Plein Air Painters (Ruth Westphal); American Art Annual 1919-33; Who's Who in California 1928; Who's Who in American Art 1936-56; Who's Who on the Pacific Coast 1946; California Art Research, 20 volumes; History & Ideals of American Art (Neuhaus); SF Examiner, 4-25-1957 & NY Times, 4-26-1957 (obits). | | Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here. |
Biography from Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery Santa FeTucson:
| Armin Hansen was one of the most celebrated and respected West Coast marine painters of the twentieth century.
Hansen's first art instruction came from his father, Herman W. Hansen (1854-1924), the popular painter of Wild West imagery. At age 17 he enrolled in the Mark Hopkins Institute to study with Arthur Matthews. When the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 interrupted his instruction, Hansen left for Europe. Instead of going to Paris where most of his contemporaries were studying cutting edge art movements, he enrolled in the German Royal Academy, to work under the German impressionists. After two years of study and touring, Hansen signed on as a crew member of a Norwegian fishing trawler. He continued life as a fisherman in the North Sea and North Atlantic for the next four years.
Returning to San Francisco in 1912, Hansen set up a studio and taught at UC Berkeley and the California School of Fine Arts. The next year he moved to Monterey where he taught privately and began to specialize in painting seascapes, coastal views and, most especially, images of the hardworking local fishermen with whom he felt an obvious kinship.
Some of Hansen's earlier paintings suggest the influence of tonalism, although most of his production is considered post-impressionist, with strong colors applied in flat blocks with bold, free brush strokes. He often favored a dark palette which probably derived from his instruction at the Royal Academy. Hansen also is known for his great skill as an etcher.
Hansen exhibited widely around the United States and Europe, winning many prizes for both his paintings and etchings. He was a co-founder of the Carmel Art Association, one of the best-know artists' co-operatives in America, and became one of its most respected teachers. Hansen was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1925 and became a full member in 1948. |
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Armin Hansen is also mentioned in these AskART essays:
Impressionists Pre 1940
San Francisco Panama-Pacific Exhibition 1915
California Painters
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