Wulf Erich Barsch von Benedikt (born August 27, 1943 Reudnitz, Germany) is a Latter-day Saint artist and professor at Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...

 (BYU).

Life

Barsch was born in Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

 which after World War II became a part of Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 and is now part of the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

. While his full name is Wulf Erich Barsch von Benedikt, he uses Wulf Barsch as his professional name.

He studied under Bauhaus Masters, who were themselves Master Students of Paul Klee

Paul Klee

Paul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...

 and Wassily Kandinsky

Wassily Kandinsky

Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting the first purely-abstract works. Born in Moscow, Kandinsky spent his childhood in Odessa. He enrolled at the University of Moscow, studying law and economics...

.
He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1966, and subsequently served a mission for the LDS Church in Northern California.

Barsch received a masters degree equivalent in Germany from Werkkenschule, Hanover in 1968, and from BYU with a Master of Arts degree in 1970, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1971, and then joined the faculty at BYU in 1972.
Barsch was a leader in the second wave of the Art and Belief Movement. He retired from teaching at BYU in 2010.

In 1975 Barsch won the Rome Prize

Rome Prize

The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists and to 15 scholars The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists...

. His work is recognized as some of the better modern religious art work. His works include "Book of Abraham". In 2011 his work "The Book of Walking Forth by Day" was included in an exhibit of art by LDS Artists at the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City.

Sources

• UofU bio of Barsch
• "Visual Arts" article in Encyclopedia of Mormonism
  Encyclopedia of Mormonism
  The Encyclopedia of Mormonism is a semi-official encyclopedia for topics relevant to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
  
  .
• AskArt entry for Barsch
• Wasatch Journal article on Barsch
• Wulf Erich BARSCH "The First Look at Boulder", Biddington's, Inc.