Anton Gág (June 12, 1859 – May 22, 1908) was a Bohemian-American painter and studio photographer known for his portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and murals. He spent most of his working life in Minnesota.[1]
Anton Gág was born in Walk, Bohemia, a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now in the Czech Republic. He seemed to fit the stereotype of the "Bohemian artist"— pursuing an artistic talent that did not earn him much money, allowing his children much freedom, and non-conforming in his personal behavior. Indeed, his life and art were formed by the liberal humanist values of the German-Bohemian culture.
Anton and his wife Elisabeth Biebl came to the United States and settled in New Ulm, an immigrant community in southern Minnesota, raising a family of seven children with the German traditions and language. In 1894, Anton built a Queen-Anne style family home that he decorated with murals, and used for a successful photographic studio.
His most famous child, Wanda Gág, moved to New Jersey where she became a celebrated author and artist.
Anton died in New Ulm in 1908 from tuberculosis at the young age of 49.
The house where the Gág family lived is now dedicated to the story of this family, showing examples of their art and the way of life in those years. The exterior of the house has been painted to show the colors that were used when the Gágs lived there. The interior is also being restored to that time period. The process has uncovered detailed, decorative hand-painting done by the Gágs, on walls throughout the home.
The Wanda Gág House, located at 226 N. Washington, New Ulm, Minnesota, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is open for public tours.