Ogden Pleissner

In the years since his death, Pleissner's work has become quite popular among collectors of American sporting art and other genres of tangible Americana. Pleissner's works in both oil and watercolor are highly regarded, and his paintings consistently command a respectable price at auction. In 2010, Pleissner's 1938 oil, The Rapids, sold at auction for $345,000, a new record surpassing the previous mark of $220,000 set in 1996.

“It’s hard to say whether I have a favorite place to paint. There are many fascinating places in Europe and there’s so much right here in this country. . . Whether it’s Vermont, Normandy, or Paris, it doesn’t make that much difference, really.” -1983 interview

In 1942, Pleissner accepted a commission from the United States Army as a war correspondent on inactive duty employed by Life magazine. After the war, Pleissner continued to travel to Europe and Wyoming, painting city scenes, landscapes, and sporting subjects.

He attended the Art Students League of New York from 1922 to 1926, studying under Frank DuMond, and began teaching at the Pratt Institute soon after. Throughout the 1930s, Pleissner worked mainly in oils and became known for his Western landscapes, and images of the Maritimes and New England. The National Academy of Design awarded him the 1938 Second Hallgarten Prize for South Pass City (Wyoming Ghost Town).

Ogden Minton Pleissner (1905–1983) was an American painter, specializing in landscapes and war art related to his service in World War II.

Pleissner was born on April 29, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York. His father was very interested in the arts, especially music, and his mother was an accomplished violinist who had studied in Germany. When he was eleven a friend gave him a paint box filled with a wide array of colors. Growing up, Pleissner spent several summers in Wyoming where he sketched from life and developed a lifelong love of the outdoors, fishing, and the western landscape.