Andrew Fisher Bunner

Andrew Fisher Bunner (1841–1897) was an American painter and draughtsman whose luminous watercolors of Venice and the Long Island shore earned him a distinguished reputation among his contemporaries. Born on December 27, 1841, in New York, he studied at the art school founded by Thomas Seir Cummings and took an antique drawing class at the National Academy of Design from 1862 to 1863. By 1865 he was exhibiting regularly at the National Academy, and in 1878 he showed at the Paris Salon, marking his emergence as a painter of international ambition.

Bunner traveled extensively in Europe between 1871 and 1876, painting in Germany, France, Holland, and Italy, with Venice commanding his deepest attention. He returned to live in the city on the lagoon from 1883 to 1886, during which time he produced some of his most accomplished work. His Venetian watercolors — including views of Rio del Erbe, Santa Maria della Salute, and Canal and Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, all now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art — capture the shifting light and watery atmosphere of the city with quiet elegance. His Long Island coastal scenes similarly emphasize luminosity and seasonal mood over dramatic incident.

Bunner was elected an Associate of the National Academy of Design in 1880 and became a member of the Salmagundi Club, whose inaugural black-and-white exhibition he participated in during 1878–1879. He exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Boston Arts Club throughout his career, building a following among collectors who admired his restrained yet atmospheric style.

Bunner died on April 19, 1897, at the age of fifty-six, before he could be elevated to full membership in the National Academy. His widow donated a substantial collection of his sketches to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., ensuring that his work would remain accessible to future generations. His paintings are held today in museums across the United States, from Yale University to collections in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and New Mexico.