Portrait of Robert Koehler

Philip Little · 1910

The subject here, Robert Koehler, directed the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts (now the Minneapolis College of Art and Design) from 1893 to 1914. An artist himself, he was fiercely committed to American art and organized annual exhibitions that brought the best contemporary artists to Minneapolis. When Philip Little came to town to mount a solo exhibition, he also painted Koehler’s portrait. Skillfully balancing masses and forms, darkness and light, he shows Koehler sitting in his office (located in the public library) making an etching. Outlines of office and hotel buildings in 1910 Minneapolis are visible through the window.