Mormon Artist Rediscovered and Given His Well-Earned Recognition

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Logan Groll

Joined: Sep 2017

Among the pantheon of mormon artists, you probably have never heard of German artist Joseph Paul Vorst.

Baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1924, his work was well-respected in his day, and his art has been featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery, and MOMA. Despite this renown, his faith was unknown until only a few years ago.

This discovery has led to a renewal of interest in the artist’s amazing works, and the Church has recently acquired a number of his paintings. These include renditions of the Hauns Mill Massacre, a piece called Religious Persecution that depicts Mormons being tarred and feathered, and a lithograph of a young boy titled Joe and His Mission. 

His art will be featured in an exhibit at the LDS Church History Museum, which will be a retrospective of both his life and works. You can learn more about the discovery of both his faith and his works at religionnews.com.