Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer, the celebrated German artist born May 21, 1471 in Nuremberg, is renowned for his exquisite woodcuts, engravings, and etchings, though he also created oil paintings, watercolors, and sketches throughout his career. He began his artistic education with his father, a successful goldsmith, before apprenticing at age 15 with Michael Wolgemut, where he learned printmaking techniques including woodcut and drypoint.
Dürer traveled extensively after completing his apprenticeship in 1489, with his visits to Italy beginning in 1494 profoundly influencing his style through exposure to Renaissance approaches to proportion, perspective, and human anatomy. His reputation soared with masterworks including The Apocalypse woodcut series in 1498, The Large Passion from 1497 to 1500, and Life of the Virgin from 1500 to 1510. From 1500 to 1520, he created numerous prints, paintings, and portraits while developing burin engravings in copper. He served as official court artist for Roman Emperors Maximilian I and Charles V beginning in 1518 and created a portrait for King Christian II of Denmark in 1521.
After contracting an illness during his travels, Dürer returned to Nuremberg in 1521 and focused on writing influential texts on geometry, fortification, and human proportion. He died in Nuremberg in 1528 at age 56, leaving a legacy as one of art history’s Old Masters. His masterful works are exhibited worldwide and remain widely collected today, represented by Park West Gallery.