The Springville Museum of Art has opened the first major retrospective of John Hafen, a co-founder of the Springville Art Movement and one of Utah's most influential artists. The exhibition features 64 of Hafen's paintings, including works from the museum's own collection and loans from other museums and private owners. Highlights include the painting "Girl Among the Hollyhocks" and "The Sycamore Tree," alongside a biography of the artist and interpretive quotes from his writings. Hafen, a Swiss-born plein-air painter who studied in France and settled in Utah, is known for his tonalist landscapes that emphasize mood and sentiment over exact representation.
This retrospective matters because it reunites a comprehensive body of Hafen's work for the first time, honoring his foundational role in the Springville Museum of Art. Hafen's 1903 donation of original artwork to Springville High School sparked the collection that grew into the museum, and his belief that access to original art elevates lives and creates a better society remains central to the institution's mission. The exhibition not only celebrates a key figure in Utah's art history but also reinforces the museum's identity as a community anchor rooted in Hafen's legacy.