Minerva Teichert FAQ

Where was Minerva Teichert from?

Minerva Bernetta Kohlhepp Teichert was born in 1888, in a small adobe home in Ogden, Utah the second of ten children. The young Kohlhepp family moved to Idaho, when Minerva was 4 years old, but the hot windy summers proved too much for young Minerva’s eyes, and she soon developed cataracts. She was forced to leave her family in Idaho and move back to North Ogden to live with her grandmother. Minerva attended school at the yet famous Red Brick School in North Ogden, Utah, where she graduated from the eighth grade. She made her way back to Idaho eventually to be reunited with her family. 

Where did Minerva Teichert learn to paint?

At age 14 she traveled to San Francisco as a nanny for an Idaho family. While there, she visited an art museum for the first time in her life. Feeling inspired, she decided to take art classes at the Mark Hopkins Art Institute. At 19 Minerva Teichert traveled off to the booming metropolis of Chicago where she attended the Chicago Art Institute. By age 26 she had started classes at the Art Students League in New York. Her instructor, Robert Henri, considered her one of the three best students at the school and gave her a scholarship. He encouraged Minerva to paint what he called “the Mormon experience.” She attended for three years and was then offered a scholarship to study in London, but instead returned home to Idaho to get married.

What Religion was Minerva Teichert?

Minerva Teichert was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon).

How did religion influence Minerva Teichert’s paintings?

Minerva wanted her art to motivate the viewer to greater faith and a greater appreciation for pioneer heritage. Teichert’s striking paintings often reflect her Mormon upbringing and tell stories from her faith. She painted 42 wall-sized murals based on stories from the Book of Mormon. Her desire to paint dozens of scenes from the Mormon scriptures came as an extension of her feeling that she was being “called” to serve her people and her religion with her art.

What was Minerva Teichert’s education?

Minerva attended the Art Students League in New York. Her instructor, Robert Henri, considered her one of the three best students at the school and gave her a scholarship. He encouraged Minerva to paint what he called “the Mormon experience.” was a beloved American artist made famous by her striking paintings of Mormon history and the western frontier. Her artwork of Latter-Day Saint pioneers, scenes from the Book of Mormon, and depictions of American Indians are highly acclaimed and revered the world over. Minerva often selected subjects that emphasized the role of strong women, and these women feature prominently in many of her works. 

Did Minerva Teichert have a family?

Minerva was born in 1888, in a small adobe home in Ogden, Utah. She was the second of ten children. When she was 29 years old, Minerva Kohlhepp married Herman Teichert on September 15, 1917. However, only one year after their wedding, World War 1 broke out and Herman left for battle, and Minerva was eventually forced to bid farewell and stay at home with their newborn baby son. During the early years of their marriage, everything was in short supply because of the war, so Minerva Teichert would paint on scraps of wood and paper because there simply wasn’t enough money to buy art supplies. Fortunately, Herman returned home after the war and the couple went on to have four more children. Minerva and Herman spent most of their lives on a ranch in Cokeville, Wyoming. Her husband, Herman, was always a great supporter of her career and her independence. He patiently waited five years to get married while Minerva finished art school. She told a friend, “Herman has always given me free rein to do what I please, so I try to please him, which I could not do if he tried to ‘manage’ me.” 

Did Minerva Teichert support women?

Minerva often selected subjects that emphasized the role of strong women, and these women feature prominently in many of her works. She was an independent, confident woman and was outspoken on political and social matters. As her grandniece observed, “Aunt Minerva was feisty, spunky, and was a hundred years before her time, especially about women’s lib and the roles women saw themselves in and what women were capable of doing.” Her legacy of portraying women side-by-side with men in strong heroic scenes has helped in documenting the remarkable role women played not only in the early migrating days of the church, but in the settlement of the western United States. 

What inspired Minerva Teichert’s ‘Queen Esther’ painting?

‘Queen Esther’ was also one of three paintings Teichart made in response to the Nazis in Germany. Her son served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany in 1938. With antisemitism at terrible levels in the year before World War II began, Teichart’s son wrote letters to his mother expressing his horror regarding the treatment of the Jewish people. Sympathetic to their plight, Teichart painted Queen Esther as a figure of courage and bravery that protected her Jewish people. 

Did Minerva Teichert work with renowned artists?

Minerva Teichert studied at the Chicago Art Institute and trained under John Vanderpoel, a master at the school of painting. He often criticized Minevra’s work, in what seemed an unmercifully relentless way, while not doing the same to the other students. One day Minerva became so frustrated she confronted Vanderpoel about it. He replied as to why she, and not the other students, were the focus of his critical eye - “Miss Idaho, can it be possible that you don’t understand? They’re not worth it; they will drop out, but you - ahh- there is no limit.” By age 26 Minerva had started classes at the Art Students League in New York where she studied art alongside Edward Hopper. Her instructor, Robert Henri, considered her one of the three best students at the school and gave her a scholarship. He encouraged Minerva to paint what he called “the Mormon experience.” She attended for three years and was then offered a scholarship to study in London, but instead returned home to Idaho to get married. 

What were some of Minerva Teichehrt’s biggest projects?

With her dedication to the Mormon church, Teichart was commissioned multiple times for paintings of faith. She painted 42 wall-sized murals based on stories from the Book of Mormon. And in 1947, as part of the centennial celebration for the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in Utah, she was commissioned by the church to paint the “World Room” murals in the Manti, Utah Temple. She was the first woman ever asked to paint a mural for a Latter-day Saint temple. The painting was expected to take a year, but Teichart completed it in 23 days. This is even more impressive because at the time of this project, Teichert was a 59 year old grandmother. Near the completion of the mural, Teichart fell from the scaffolding and injured her arm. She left her work for a few hours and went to see a doctor. She returned and immediately started painting again, simply unwilling to stop.

Did Minerva Teichert have any charitable causes?

Throughout her career, Minerva Teichert donated hundreds of works of art to the LDS church and Brigham Young University. Among Minerva Teichert’s most well known paintings is one titled ‘Miracle of the Gulls’. ‘Miracle of the Gulls’ came about when Teichert’s neighbor confided in her that she was heartbroken, but could not afford to send her daughter to BYU. Techert was kind enough to paint ‘Miracle of the Gulls’ and gift the money she made from it to her neighbor’s young daughter for her college tuition. Later, when the girl got married, Techiert gave her another painting as a wedding gift. This painting, ‘Queen Esther’, ended up being one of Teichert’s most famous and beloved works. 

What is Minerva Teichert’s most famous work?

The original painting on canvas of Minerva Teichert’s ‘Rescue of the Lost Lamb’ is arguably her most famous piece, and hangs in the Conference Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. The earliest known photograph of Minerva Teichert’s ‘Rescue of the Lost Lamb’ was taken Circa 1944 at the Bonneville Stake Center . The Rescue of the Lost Lamb painting itself was first displayed in the Z.C.M.I. (Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution) Tiffin Room in a small exhibit on February 28, 1939. 

What medium did Minerva Teichert use?

Minerva Teichert primarily used oil on canvas - painting, As was very common, the base on Minerva’s canvases was made from a mix of lead paint and linseed oil.

Where are Minerva Teichert’s murals and paintings located?

Minerva Teichert painted dozens of murals throughout many rooms of the Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints. In 1947, as part of the centennial celebration for the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in Utah, Minerva Teichert was asked to paint a mural for the World Room in the Manti LDS Temple. Working day and night, she finished her magnificent 'The Pageantry of History' mural—which spans over 4,000 square feet—in only 23 days. She was also commissioned to paint a Babylon themed mural in the LDS Tabernacle in Montpelier, Idaho.  Teichert's Book of Mormon murals are part of the collection at the BYU Museum of Art. As well as many other paintings on display at the LDS Conference Center and Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah. Also the Wilkinson Student Center and the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. as well as BYU, Idaho. 

What was Minerva Teichert’s inspiration?

The wild Idaho landscape was the inspiration for many of Minerva Teichert’s paintings. Her works ranged from western American life to themes of her deeply held religious convictions.  

What is Minerva Teichert’s painting style?

A distinctive feature of Teichert’s style is her minimal use of detail. Teichert believed that a painting “should be rich in story and backed by a great faith,” often leaving the details of her paintings to the imagination of the beholder. Often, the background is suggested, rather than drawn. This contributes to the style we see in Teichart’s work, often with unfinished edges but wonderfully embellished with colors and patterns. She knew she was finished with a painting when the story had been presented in a way with which she was satisfied; she would say “I’m not going to do anything more with that. That tells the story.” 

Did Minerva Teichert’s Mormon heritage influence her works?

Minerva Teichert’s striking paintings often reflect her Mormon upbringing and tell stories from her faith. She painted 42 wall-sized murals based on stories from the Book of Mormon. Her desire to paint dozens of scenes from the Mormon scriptures came as an extension of her feeling that she was being “called” to serve her people and her religion with her art. The true power of Minerva’s strong faith is revealed in the creative conceptualization of more than forty scenes from the Book of Mormon. Her imaginative paintings offer a visual alternative to the more masculine imagery that has previously been used to show these narratives. She gave a unique and beautiful vision of the world of the Book of Mormon. The scriptures were very important to Minerva. She studied them regularly and could quote them for almost any situation. Each of the paintings in the series was supported by scriptural references, which she was careful to list in her notes, together with a description of the scene in her own words.

What is Minerva Teichert’s painting style?

A distinctive feature of Teichert’s style is her minimal use of detail. Teichert believed that a painting “should be rich in story and backed by a great faith,” often leaving the details of her paintings to the imagination of the beholder. Often, the background is suggested, rather than drawn. This contributes to the style we see in Teichart’s work, often with unfinished edges but wonderfully embellished with colors and patterns. She knew she was finished with a painting when the story had been presented in a way with which she was satisfied; she would say “I’m not going to do anything more with that. That tells the story.” 

What made Minerva Teichert’s art unique?

For her, the attitude and position of the figures were far more important to the story than detail. Admirers of Minerva Teichert’s painting style say they are drawn to her striking use of color and highlighting. Essential to her narrative was color, which spelled out the story that she wanted to tell. She would say, “the values of color are the only thing that makes things go round, and unless you do that you haven’t accomplished anything.” Techart’s rich color work helps reflect the stories she tells in her art, with a particular focus on red for contrast. Click Here

How long was Minerva Teichert’s career? Minerva Teichert magnified her “life’s calling” into thousands of paintings and left us her personal interpretation of the western American life and personal dedication to the gospel she loved so intensely.

What is the Minerva Teichert Art Exhibit in SLC?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints history museum has an art exhibit featuring Minerva Teichert artwork. It will be on display until August 2024. To see more about this exhibit and to take a video tour: Click Here

Does the Brigham Young University Museum of Art have Minerva Teichert art?

The BYU Museum of Art has the largest collection of Minerva Teichert’s art. With over 90 paintings and almost 70 drawings and sketches, they always have a great exhibit of Teichert’s artwork. To see more about the BYU MOA: Click Here

What is the history of Rescue of the Lost Lamb?

Rescue of the Lost Lamb in perhaps the most famous of Minerva Teichert paintings: Click Here

When is the Manti Temple dediscation?

All the information you need for the Manti Temple dedication: Click Here