Born in Sweden, Birger Sandzén trained at the Royal Academy in Stockholm before moving to Kansas in 1894 to teach at Bethany College. While best known for his vivid, textured landscapes of the American West, Sandzén was also a prolific printmaker, producing over 300 lithographs during his career. His lithographic work—marked by bold, simplified forms and strong contrasts—captured the same dramatic sense of light and scale found in his paintings. Through his teaching and art, Sandzén became a leading figure in American regional art of the early 20th century.

Exhibited

Art Institute of Chicago

National Academy of Design, New York

Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco (1915)

Numerous regional and collegiate galleries throughout the Midwest and West

Collections

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City

Denver Art Museum, Denver

Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg, Kansas