Magnus von Wright

Magnus von Wright was a Finnish painter and ornithologist. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting.

Born into a wealthy family in Kuopio, von Wright went to school in Turku and afterwards studied art in Stockholm under C. J. Fahlgranz and J. F. Julin. At the initiative of a fellow ornithologist, Nils Bonde, he began work on Svenska Foglar (1828-1838), a large illustrated volume on Swedish birds, in which he was aided by his younger brother, Wilhelm von Wright.

Following his return to Finland in 1829, von Wright worked as a cartographer, taxidermist and art instructor. In addition to several paintings of birds, he also made several landscapes andstill lifes.

It is noteworthy that both of von Wright's younger brothers, Wilhelm (1810-1887) andFerdinand (1822-1906) were also accomplished artists famous for their work on nature, especially birds.