KODNER GALLERY RESEARCH PROJECTS FOR THE ARTISTS

Oscar Edmund Berninghaus and Carl Wimar

Martin Kodner, father of owners Jonathan and David Kodner, developed a lifelong fascination with the works of the great American artist and native St. Louisan, Oscar Edmund Berninghaus (1874-1952) and the extolled German-American artist Charles Ferdinand Wimar (1828-1862) . A member of the Appraisers Association of America and listed expert on both artists, over forty years ago Martin began producing the first ever Research Projects on either artist from the volumes of detailed information he culled during the course of his career.

Today, Jonathan and David are continuing his work. Through ongoing research, the Kodners are compiling data including biographical and documentary material, fine artwork, and commercial material that spans the lifetime and oeuvre of the artists.

Oscar Edmund Berninghaus

American, St. Louis (1874-1952)

Born in St. Louis, Missouri at a time when the city was considered the “Gateway to the West,” Berninghaus developed an early interest in art through his father’s lithograph company. He took three evening terms at St. Louis School of Fine Arts, which was the extent of his formal training. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad gave Berninghaus a commission in 1899 to paint the mountain scenery, mining camps, people and villages of Colorado and New Mexico. This opportunity introduced him to the small towns of Taos, where he met fellow artists Bert Phillips, Ernest Blumenschein, Joseph Sharp, Eanger Irving Couse, and W. Herbert Dunton. This group of six later created the Taos Society of Artists.

Berninghaus continued to take commissions throughout his career, including advertising illustrations for Anheuser-Busch, a mural for the Missouri State Capital building in Jefferson City and creating float designs for the Veiled Prophet Parade. He divided his time between Taos in the summers and his home in St. Louis until 1925 when he moved permanently to New Mexico. Berninghaus was best known for his paintings of horses and Native Americans. He painted the people of Taos in natural settings revealing an understanding of their life in a new age. Art historian Patricia Broder captured his breadth when she wrote of him, “He was at once a romantic and realist, poet and naturalist.” His artistic legacy helped visualize America’s epic history.