Artist Biography

Victor MATSON
1895 - 1972

Victor Stanley Matson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 18, 1895. After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in mechanical engineering, he moved to southern California in 1922 and soon purchased a home in Pasadena. There he studied painting with Jack Wilkinson Smith and Sam Hyde Harris, and printmaking with Franz Geritz. With Smith and Harris, he often painted in the Mojave desert and San Gabriel mountains. His early works were done on location and include rural scenes and landscapes near his home in Pasadena. These early works often include people, animals, bridges, and automobiles. After 1950 he used a more detailed style and chose desert and beach scenes for his subjects which were done in his studio. Matson died in South Pasadena on March 18, 1972. Member: California Art Club (president); Painters & Sculptors of Los Angeles (president 1964); Laguna Beach Art Ass'n; Valley Artists’ Guild; Businessmen’s Art Institute (Montrose); American Artists Professional League; San Gabriel Art Ass'n; Printmakers Society of California. Exhibited: California Statewide (Santa Cruz) 1943-46; DeSaisset Art Gallery (University of Santa Clara), 1963 (solo); Ebell Club (Los Angeles), 1964; Los Angeles City Hall. Works held: Allstate Insurance Collection.

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