Remembering Mort Künstler

I was sitting on an airplane, heading to Mobile, Alabama, when I heard news of Mort Künstler’s death. He passed away on February 2, 2025 at the age of 97.

I thought we should do something at ECW to commemorate his incredible career and legacy. After all, so many of us have Mort’s work on the walls of our offices, libraries, and studies. And in our hallways. And maybe in a bedroom or a living room or two. And of course, on the covers of books and magazines. And I might have a coffee mug I regularly drink from that has one of Mort’s paintings on it.

His work has been ubiquitous.

My trip to Alabama behind me, as well as a trip to Cleveland, I finally made it in to my office this week at St. Bonaventure. There, propped on the chair in front of my desk, was one of Mort’s paintings of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. I don’t know who left it there for me, but there it was. What a nice surprise, but what a bittersweet one, too, in the wake of Mort’s death.

I already have one of Mort’s paintings hanging in my office: The Professor from Virginia, a portrait of a stern and humorless Stonewall Jackson in his classroom at the Virginia Military Institute. The portrait’s sister image—a livelier, friendlier portrait of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, The Professor from Maine—better depicts my own style in the classroom, but I’m a Jackson fanboy despite having roots in Chamberlain’s home state.

Undoubtedly, though, the most important piece of art I own is Mort’s Julia, an image of Jackson meeting his newborn daughter for the first time. It has deep personal meaning to me, tied directly to my relationship with my own daughter, our early Civil War adventures, and my origins as a Jackson fanboy. You can read that story here.

The Civil War art boom is well past us, but our connections to Mort Künstler’s art are not. We bought his paintings because we loved his style, because we loved the subjects he painted, because we have stories of our own that relate to those paintings. I’ve asked a few of my ECW colleagues to share theirs.

— Chris Mackowski, Editor-in-Chief

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Richard Heisler, Civil War Seattle

[Editor’s Note: Richard, a trained artist, wrote about Civil War art for the ECW 10th Anniversary Series volume The Civil War and Pop Culture.]

Mort Künstler was a master of his craft. His work’s broad appeal has few parallels in historic art and illustration. Künstler possessed a genuine mastery of nostalgia and a talent for theatrical visual storytelling that gave a uniqueness to his historical painting. Few artists have created such broadly appealing history-themed art, particularly that of the Civil War.

Imbued with romance, his Civil War art found a home with history enthusiasts the world over. He could portray the unspeakable violence of Pickett’s charge with an adventurous heroism worthy of Davy Crockett or the Lone Ranger. The death and maiming of hundreds of soldiers or the burning fires in the Wilderness became no harder to look at than a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving dinner scene. Romanticized portrayals of very difficult history invited criticism, yet his images resonated with everyman. The paintings were never confrontational. Even if an event he illustrated ended tragically, his depiction left viewers longing or hopeful.

He endured as a narrative painter of historic scenes when the sun began setting on the golden age of illustration. In fact, that is when his art began to thrive. When art was increasingly in the purview of such names as Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rauschenberg or Judd, Künstler stayed committed to his style and his work was widely admired. His art was not meant to interpret, but to transport. He took viewers on a journey and fostered a love and enthusiasm for history through art like few before him.

Both art and Civil War history are better for having known the talent of Mort Künstler. He will be missed.

Kevin Donovan

I expect that all of those associated with ECW write about the Civil War for the love of it, not expecting really to make any money. Yet the first (small) check I ever received for an article resulted in a priceless memento of that inaugural effort: a Mort Künstler print. Back in 1999, the first article I wrote—on the Fitz John Porter court martial for the old Columbiad: A Quarterly Review of the War Between The States—generated a check for (if memory serves) $250. Determined to use this bounty for something worthy, I held onto it until chance brought me to a used bookstore in Gettysburg that also sold Civil War prints. On a wall was a beautiful, framed Künstler titled Until We Meet Again. The winter scene, set in early 1862, is of Stonewall Jackson in front of his Winchester headquarters and staff, tenderly saying goodbye to his beloved wife, Mary Anna. A deal promptly was struck, and that Künstler graced my law office wall for some 20 years, when it then came home to my personal office. Many is the time when I have gazed on its details or simply enjoyed its powerful emotional message. Other than a certain diamond ring, it is probably the best use of money I ever made. Thank you, Mr. Künstler.

Josh Frye

During his life, Mort Künstler created more than 300 pieces of art. Each one brought to life some of the most pivotal moments in American History. The paintings he created of iconic historical figures and moments would themselves, make their mark in history.

When I was a child, I first discovered Künstler through the many Civil War magazine publications then in print. My grandfather used to drive me to the nearest supermarket to gather my monthly Civil War magazine ration. Without fail, one of Künstler’s paintings would always have a spot on the cover or inside the pages. With the help of these works of art, I became drawn into Civil War history.

Helen Frankenthaler once said, “Every canvas is a journey all its own.” Mort Künstler’s works created a journey for many individuals like myself into the wonderful world of history. Today, with much credit going to Künstler, many of us find ourselves on the journey of studying history so that we can, in turn, teach others. Individuals like Künstler helped pave that road.

Brian D. Kowell

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mort Künstler. He was one of my favorite Civil War artists. In my home office, I have two prints done by Mr. Künstler. I have a print of Stonewall Jackson and his staff on horseback riding toward the viewer. My second Künstler print depicts troopers of Sheridan’ cavalry under autumn skies in the Shenandoah Valley. I treasure both. In addition, in my bookcase I have a large, full-color book containing numerous pictures of most of his Civil War prints. They are beautifully done. Mr. Künstler will be greatly missed.

Kevin Pawlak

From a young age, Civil War art has always fascinated me. The first Civil War book I thumbed through was a collection of the postwar Kurz and Allison battle prints. After my first trip to Gettysburg, my parents bought me a kids book about the battle that featured art, only this time the more modern art of Mort Künstler, the first modern Civil War artist I was introduced to. Years later, much to my delight, I was gifted his print Sharpsburg War Council by some of my close friends. It still hangs (and always will) prominently in my house. Künstler’s painting portrays three of my favorite Civil War topics of study: Robert E. Lee, the battle of Antietam, and the decision-making of commanders.

Sharpsburg War Council conveys the immediacy of the moment: Lee and his generals only had minutes to make a decision about whether to stay at Sharpsburg the next day, September 18, or withdraw across the Potomac River under cover of night. As the generals gather around Lee to discuss the army’s options, the aftermath of battle and the hustle of a headquarters camp linger on the fringes of the generals’ meeting.

Künstler’s paintings of the high command of both armies are some of my favorites, and I’m thankful that I have one in my own house to admire and ponder.

Evan Portman

My connection to Mort Künstler’s art, much like other works of Civil War popular culture, is very personal. I remember spending hours poring over a collection of his paintings, as my childhood fascination with the war was brought to life on the pages before me. My seven-year-old mind experienced a “light bulb moment” when I recognized the similarity between Künstler’s art and scenes from my favorite movie, Gettysburg—wondering whether it was just a coincidence or an intentional, artistic decision.

I also fondly remember putting together a 1,000-piece puzzle of Künstler’s Chamberlain’s Charge with my mom. It was the most challenging puzzle I had ever worked on up to that point in my life—so challenging for me that we decided to permanently frame it. It still hangs in my childhood bedroom. Mort Künstler’s calendars were always a favorite Christmas gift of mine, as well. I would study his paintings with a keen eye when I flipped the calendar each month and reference them on the anniversary of any given battle. Indeed, Mort Künstler and his work will always be intimately tied with my formative years as a young history buff. And for that, I’ll always be grateful.