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DETLEF SAMMANN Biography |
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Painter, muralist. Born in Westerhever, Germany on February 28, 1857. Apprenticed to a painter, Sammann began working as a fresco painter in Dresden while in his teens. While there, he was a pupil of Wilhelm Ritter for four years at the Industrial Art School. In 1881 he sailed to New York where he worked as an interior decorator and muralist. For health reasons, he migrated to California in 1898. For about two years he was active in San Diego and San Francisco but then moved to Pasadena. The many frescos he painted in local residencies are examples of the German rococo style. Upon retirement in 1912, he moved north to Pebble Beach and adopted an Impressionist style. Inspired by local scenery, he painted landscapes, coastals, and marines. Sammann spent four years in this peaceful place but, homesick for his native land, he returned to Dresden in 1921. He died there on May 25, 1938.
Sammann exhibited at Blanchard Building, Los Angeles, 1910; California Art Club, 1911; San Francisco Art Association, 1911-1914; Del Monte Art Gallery, 1912; Friday Morning Club, Los Angeles, 1914; National Academy of Design, 1915; Golden Gate Park Memorial Museum, 1915, 1916; Panama-California International Exposition, San Diego, 1916 (silver medal); Kanst Gallery, Los Angeles, 1916. Sammann was published in California Impressionism (Gerdts and South, ed.); American Art Annual 1915-17; California State Library; Southern California Artists; and Der Freiheitskampf, 5-29-1938 (obituary). |
