Magnus von Wright

Who was Magnus von Wright?

Magnus von Wright was a Finnish painter and ornithologist. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting.

Born into a wealthy family in Kuopio, von Wright went to school in Turku and afterwards studied art in Stockholm under C. J. Fahlgranz and J. F. Julin. At the initiative of a fellow ornithologist, Nils Bonde, he began work on Svenska Foglar, a large illustrated volume on Swedish birds, in which he was aided by his younger brother, Wilhelm von Wright.

Following his return to Finland in 1829, von Wright worked as a cartographer, taxidermist and art instructor. In addition to several paintings of birds, he also made several landscapes and still lifes.

It is noteworthy that both of von Wright's younger brothers, Wilhelm and Ferdinand were also accomplished artists famous for their work on nature, especially birds.