Hans Kleiber, artist, poet, and naturalist, was born in Germany and spent his childhood in what is now the Czech Republic. In 1900, the Kleiber family immigrated to the United States and settled in Massachusetts.
After four years of intermittent schooling, working on farms, in mills, shoe shops, and an iron foundry and saving $20, Hans left his family for New York. While in New York he was befriended by Clarence Blodgett, an artist, from whom he learned the principles of art and the use of paint. He referred to this two-year stint as, “… probably the most important epoch of my life in the United States.”
Longing to go west he found work with the Woodrock lumber camp, at the head of Tongue River in the Bighorn Mountains, northwest of Sheridan, Wyoming. Shortly thereafter, he secured a position with the U S Forest Service and by 1913 he had been promoted to Forest Ranger.
In 1923, at the age of 36, Kleiber returned to his home in Dayton, Wyoming and, as a self-taught intaglio (etching) printmaker, constructed his first printing press with gears and rollers cast at the Sheridan Foundry. During the time he spent in the outdoors of the west, the notes and sketches he made of nature were the source of many of his artistic and poetic productions.
In addition to having exhibits in numerous galleries, he received the Silver Medal from The Printmakers Society and was given a special showing at the Smithsonian National Museum in Washington, DC.
Kleiber died in Sheridan, Wyoming on December 8, 1967. His rustic cabin studio in Dayton, Wyoming was restored and is dedicated to his legacy.
Bradford Brinton Memorial of Big Horn, Wyoming displays all aspects of his artistic production: oils, watercolors, etchings, aquatints and drypoints.
Visit the Museum website by clicking here.
The Kleiber Studio Museum is open and free to the public during the summer months. Hours are Wednesday - Friday, 10:00 am -6:00 pm. Local artists work in the museum through a Resident Artist Program. They can give you information on area attractions, businesses and some history of our beautiful little town. Don’t pass through Dayton without stopping by the studio of famous artist Hans Kleiber.
