Frederick Knecht Detwiller

American (1882-1953)

Frederick Knecht Detwiller began his career as a lawyer in New York City, though he soon abandoned that career and enrolled at Columbia University to study art and architecture. After attending Columbia, Detwiller traveled to Paris, where the great Victor Lalou, president of the Paris Salon, encouraged him to focus on painting. Detwiller studied at both the Academie Colorossi in Paris and the Instituti de Belli Arti in Florence. In 1914, with the eve of World War I, he returned to the States. There he became known for his oil and his watercolor paintings, splitting his time between in his studios in New Harbor, Maine, New York City and Easton, Pennsylvania.

Also a teacher, Detwiller worked to elevate the status of the arts in America through a series of lectures. He was a member of many societies, including the National Academy of Design, the Brooklyn Watercolor Club, the Society of Independent Artists and the Paris Art Association.