Albert Henry Krehbiel
An American Impressionist who brought Parisian gold medals home to the Midwest, then painted the monumental murals that grace the Illinois Supreme Court.
1873–1945 (age 72)·American painter·Birthday: November 25·The Gilded Age
Biography
Albert Henry Krehbiel's story is one of brilliant technique meeting monumental ambition. Trained at the Art Institute of Chicago, his talent earned him a scholarship to Paris, where he became the most decorated American artist ever at the Académie Julian, sweeping top prizes. He returned to America not to New York, but to Chicago, where he became a central, if sometimes overlooked, figure in the Midwest's art scene. While he painted luminous Impressionist landscapes of the Illinois countryside, his defining commission was classical and grand: the cycle of thirteen murals for the Illinois Supreme Court Building in Springfield. For four years, he labored on these majestic allegories of justice, blending his rigorous academic training with a modern sensibility. Later in life, he broke form again, exploring dynamic, colorful abstractions. Krehbiel was an artist who refused to be pinned down, mastering and then moving between styles with quiet confidence.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Albert was born in 1873, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Albert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1873
Albert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1873Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Started school
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1886Became a teenager
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1889Could drive
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1891Could vote
President: Benjamin Harrison
1894Turned 21
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Turned 30
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Turned 40
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 50
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 60
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 70
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1945Died at 72
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
Key Achievements
- Painted the monumental program of 13 murals for the Illinois Supreme Court Building (1907-1911).
- Won the prestigious Prix de Rome and four gold medals during his studies in Paris.
- Was a founding member and influential teacher at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.
- His work is held in major institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Did You Know?
He was the only American student ever to win four gold medals at the French Academy.
He taught at the Art Institute of Chicago for over 35 years.
His later abstract works were inspired by the theories of Synchronism, a color-based movement.
He spent summers in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he painted many of his Impressionist landscapes.
“I paint the light as it is, not as the academy says it should be.”
