Mathias Alten

Mathias Joseph Alten (February 13, 1871 – March 8, 1938) was a German-American impressionist painter active in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

William H. Gerdts, a pre-eminent authority on American regional painting, describes Alten's style as that of a "second-generation Impressionist."

According to Gerdts, "By 1898 Alten appears to have felt the need for greater professional training and exposure … to more cosmopolitan experience in artistic craftsmanship and association."

The Literary Digest for October 12, 1929, featured the showing with an article and a reproduction of one of the Spanish marine scenes on its front cover.

Alten's career entailed an astounding amount of travel, especially given the conditions at the time – sea voyages, less than luxurious trains, horse-drawn carriages.

He frequently visited noted art colonies such as Étaples in France; Old Lyme, Connecticut; Taos, New Mexico; Laguna Beach, California and Tarpon Springs, Florida.

[8] He died, on March 8, 1938, of a heart attack caused by a blood clot (coronary thrombosis) at his home in Grand Rapids, Michigan.