Knute Heldner  (1877-1952)

A native of Sweden, Knute Heldner emigrated to the United States at the age of 23.  In 1903, Heldner saved enough money and enrolled in the Minneapolis School of Art in Minnesota.  Heldner later moved to Duluth, Minnesota where he was able to support himself as a farmhand, lumberjack and cobbler for several years, painting in his spare time.

In 1920, at the age of 43, Heldner won first prize at the Minnesota State Fair and a trip to visit President Harding in Washington D.C. under the sponsorship of the State Fair Board.  Heldner married one of his art students, Colette Pope in 1923, who later became a recognized artist in her own right.  In 1929 Heldner went to Paris for three years to study under the sponsorship of Mrs. Herbert Dance of Duluth.

Knute Heldner went on to gain national and international recognition, dividing his time between Duluth and New Orleans.  He was deeply devoted to both cities.