Benjamin West, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Benjamin West

Anglo-American painter

Date of Birth: 10-Oct-1738

Place of Birth: Springfield Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Date of Death: 11-Mar-1820

Profession: painter

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Benjamin West (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British North American artist, who painted famous historical scenes such as The Death of Nelson, The Death of General Wolfe, and Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky. Entirely self-taught, West soon gained valuable patronage, and he toured Europe, eventually settling in London.
He impressed King George III and was largely responsible for the launch of the Royal Academy, of which he became the second president (after Sir Joshua Reynolds).
He was appointed historical painter to the court and Surveyor of the King's Pictures. West also painted religious subjects, as in his huge work The Preservation of St Paul after a Shipwreck at Malta, at the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul in Greenwich, and Christ Healing the Sick, presented to the National Gallery.



Description	American-British painter
Date of birth/death	10 October 1738	11 March 1820
Location of birth/death	Springfield Township, Pennsylvania	London
Work location	London, Roma, Philadelphia
Authority control	: Q313498 VIAF: 76585232 ISNI: 0000 0000 7358 1062 ULAN: 500026989 LCCN: n50003451 NLA: 356007630 WorldCat