El Cajon has been the longtime home of Olaf Wieghorst, a place he chose to live with his wife and raise his family. It is also the place where he began his artistic journey. On April 30 the Olaf Wieghorst Museum & Western Heritage Center is celebrating two major milestones.
The 25th anniversary of the museum’s founding, and the birthday of Wieghorst, whose legacy continues to inspire admirers of Western art across generations.
The Olaf Wieghorst Day celebration will be held at the museum on April 30 from 3- 6 p.m.
Olaf Wieghorst Museum Media Director Helen Zamora said this is a special event for the museum.
“We will have live music. We are going to be presented with a proclamation from [El Cajon] Mayor [Bill] Wells for Olaf Wieghorst Day. We have invited several local politicians,” she said. “We are having a silent auction and live auction. The granddaughter of Olaf is coming, Lisa, and she is bringing signed and numbered prints that have never been out of the tubes they are in, so two of those will be auctioned off, and we are doing something different with the third one. I am talking with several local restaurants to see if they can put some food out for people, and some coupons for dinner. We are just going to have a lot of fun.”
Zamora said Wieghorst’s life and accomplishments were extraordinary.
“He was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1992, sold thousands of paintings, and was once the highest-paid living artist of his time,” she said. “He even shared the screen with John Wayne in two films, and his artwork has graced the walls of the White House under multiple U.S. presidents. It is no wonder that he is often called ‘The Dean of Western Art.’”
Zamora said Wieghorst was born in Denmark in 1899 and came to the U.S. at the age of 18 where h quickly fell in love with the American West.
“He served in the U.S. Calvery Mountain Patrol, became a U.S. citizen, and worked with the New York Mounted Police for nearly 20 years. Eventually he discovered El Cajon, where he dedicated over four decades to painting and celebrating Western heritage through his art,” she said. “As we commemorate this special year, we invite you to learn more about Olaf’s legacy and visit the museum to experience the story of a man whose passion for the West continues to inspire.”
RSVP to Helen Zamora at Helen@wieghorstmuseum.org.
