"David Rosenthal, along with many other students who studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati under Frank Duveneck and his distinguished colleagues, represents the flowering of the visual arts in the Queen City in the last decade of the nineteenth century. It is not surprising that he chose to study abroad in Germany and Italy, as Duveneck did, or that, like his teacher, he became an accomplished etcher. It is fitting that Rosenthal’s significant contributions should be retraced in the present exhibition and his achievement as an artist celebrated."
—Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art
American Impressionist David Rosenthal - 19th and early 20th century
David B. Rosenthal (1876–1949) was a Cincinnati artist who was known as an American Impressionist. In the artistic lineage of John Henry Twachtman, Lewis Meakin, and Frank Duveneck, his prints and paintings are valuable elements of Cincinnati’s distinguished art history. His work has been praised by leading art experts throughout the country.
"David Rosenthal, along with many other students who studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati under Frank Duveneck and his distinguished colleagues, represents the flowering of the visual arts in the Queen City in the last decade of the nineteenth century. It is not surprising that he chose to study abroad in Germany and Italy, as Duveneck did, or that, like his teacher, he became an accomplished etcher. It is fitting that Rosenthal's significant contributions should be retraced in the present exhibition and his achievement as an artist celebrated."
Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer
Philadelphia Museum of Art
David was the only artist among eleven children of Franciska Baum and Samuel Rosenthal, owners of the highly regarded Cincinnati printing company S. Rosenthal. He studied painting and lithography at the Art Academy in Cincinnati with Frank Duveneck, Lewis Meakin, Joseph Henry Sharp, Vincent Nowotny, and others. From 1899–1905 he studied painting in Florence, Rome, Venice, Paris, Munich, Berlin, and Dresden. After winning a scholarship in Munich, he exhibited at the Kuenstler Verein. He went on to win a scholarship at the Belle Arti in Rome, become a member of the Circlo Internationale, and attend the Accademia of Milan.
When he returned home in 1905 he opened a successful studio where he was in demand as a portrait painter and painting teacher. He was close friends with E.T. Hurley, H.H. Wessel, and many other artists in the Cincinnati Art Club. A 1905 Cincinnati newspaper article with a photograph of him painting in his studio features his popularity with the elite of Cincinnati and Chicago.
He also sketched and painted landscapes in Miami, Cape Ann, Michigan, and Cincinnati. After this period, he concentrated primarily on etchings and demonstrated a remarkable skill for mezzotints and aquatints. In 1939 he shared his studio with another Cincinnati artist from that period—Max Pollak, a friend from his Munich days. His work spanned a wide range of subjects, from portraits of historical figures, to intricate landscapes (including many Cincinnati scenes), to social commentaries of the time. His forte was capturing the essential spirit of the subjects he painted or etched.
Rosenthal exhibited at the Chicago Art Institute, The Cincinnati Art Museum, the Pittsburgh Art Museum, the Cincinnati Art Club, the Closson Gallery, and many shows in Miami, Atlantic City, and throughout Europe. His etchings are still in the collection at the New York Public Library and the Skirball Museum in Los Angeles.
When his wife Ethel Brumberg Rosenthal died in 1970, many of his paintings had to be discarded due to improper storage. The etchings and paintings in good condition were distributed to his two daughters Frances Rosenthal Rocklin and watercolor and graphic artist Nancy Rosenthal Opperman. The surviving grandchildren have compiled this initial exhibit to re-establish David Rosenthal’s prominence as a Cincinnati artist and show his place in the Cincinnati art historical tradition. They are grateful to Phyllis Weston and Richard Rosenthal for their ongoing interest and encouragement to bring their grandfather’s work to the contemporary public.
-Amy Opperman Cash, granddaughter and Allison DeDominick, ARTe: Finger Lakes Art Coordination, grandchildren Keith and Jeff Rocklin
—Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art
American Impressionist David Rosenthal - 19th and early 20th century
David B. Rosenthal (1876–1949) was a Cincinnati artist who was known as an American Impressionist. In the artistic lineage of John Henry Twachtman, Lewis Meakin, and Frank Duveneck, his prints and paintings are valuable elements of Cincinnati’s distinguished art history. His work has been praised by leading art experts throughout the country.
"David Rosenthal, along with many other students who studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati under Frank Duveneck and his distinguished colleagues, represents the flowering of the visual arts in the Queen City in the last decade of the nineteenth century. It is not surprising that he chose to study abroad in Germany and Italy, as Duveneck did, or that, like his teacher, he became an accomplished etcher. It is fitting that Rosenthal's significant contributions should be retraced in the present exhibition and his achievement as an artist celebrated."
Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer
Philadelphia Museum of Art
David was the only artist among eleven children of Franciska Baum and Samuel Rosenthal, owners of the highly regarded Cincinnati printing company S. Rosenthal. He studied painting and lithography at the Art Academy in Cincinnati with Frank Duveneck, Lewis Meakin, Joseph Henry Sharp, Vincent Nowotny, and others. From 1899–1905 he studied painting in Florence, Rome, Venice, Paris, Munich, Berlin, and Dresden. After winning a scholarship in Munich, he exhibited at the Kuenstler Verein. He went on to win a scholarship at the Belle Arti in Rome, become a member of the Circlo Internationale, and attend the Accademia of Milan.
When he returned home in 1905 he opened a successful studio where he was in demand as a portrait painter and painting teacher. He was close friends with E.T. Hurley, H.H. Wessel, and many other artists in the Cincinnati Art Club. A 1905 Cincinnati newspaper article with a photograph of him painting in his studio features his popularity with the elite of Cincinnati and Chicago.
He also sketched and painted landscapes in Miami, Cape Ann, Michigan, and Cincinnati. After this period, he concentrated primarily on etchings and demonstrated a remarkable skill for mezzotints and aquatints. In 1939 he shared his studio with another Cincinnati artist from that period—Max Pollak, a friend from his Munich days. His work spanned a wide range of subjects, from portraits of historical figures, to intricate landscapes (including many Cincinnati scenes), to social commentaries of the time. His forte was capturing the essential spirit of the subjects he painted or etched.
Rosenthal exhibited at the Chicago Art Institute, The Cincinnati Art Museum, the Pittsburgh Art Museum, the Cincinnati Art Club, the Closson Gallery, and many shows in Miami, Atlantic City, and throughout Europe. His etchings are still in the collection at the New York Public Library and the Skirball Museum in Los Angeles.
When his wife Ethel Brumberg Rosenthal died in 1970, many of his paintings had to be discarded due to improper storage. The etchings and paintings in good condition were distributed to his two daughters Frances Rosenthal Rocklin and watercolor and graphic artist Nancy Rosenthal Opperman. The surviving grandchildren have compiled this initial exhibit to re-establish David Rosenthal’s prominence as a Cincinnati artist and show his place in the Cincinnati art historical tradition. They are grateful to Phyllis Weston and Richard Rosenthal for their ongoing interest and encouragement to bring their grandfather’s work to the contemporary public.
-Amy Opperman Cash, granddaughter and Allison DeDominick, ARTe: Finger Lakes Art Coordination, grandchildren Keith and Jeff Rocklin