GUNNAR WIDFORSS. City entrance, watercolour, signed and dated 1915.

Day dimensions 29 x 48 cm. Frame dimensions 44 x 62 cm.

Gunnar Mauritz Widforss was a Swedish-American artist born on October 21, 1879 in Stockholm, Sweden, and died on November 30, 1934 in Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. He is best known for his watercolor paintings of landscapes, especially from American national parks.

Widforss began his artistic education at Konstfack in Stockholm and worked as a decorative painter in various countries, including Russia, Austria and France. He later specialized in watercolor painting and gained international attention after a successful exhibition in Paris in 1912.

After visiting the United States several times, Widforss settled in California in 1921, where he found inspiration in nature and the national parks. He became known as the "National Park Painter" and created watercolors depicting the landscapes of Yosemite National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon. His paintings were characterized by outstanding color and technique.

Widforss became better known and appreciated in the United States than in Sweden, and he was considered one of the foremost American watercolor artists of his time. His work has been exhibited in several places, including The National Gallery of Art in Washington.

He died in 1934 of heart disease and was buried at the Grand Canyon. His legacy includes named places such as Widforss Point in the Grand Canyon and the Widforss Trail. His art is also represented in several museums, including The National Gallery of Art in Washington and the National Museum in Stockholm.