William Hesthal

William Jurgen Hesthal was born in San Francisco on August 24, 1908. He started his studies at the CSFA at age 9 and had his first exhibition at 10. He was a founder of the Modem Gallery in San Francisco and spent eight months in 1929 painting in the Society Islands. After his work on Colt Tower he took advantage of the funds from an award to study in Beijing, and was working there when the Japanese army captured it prior to WWII. He went to Mexico in 1941 and a year later moved to Santa Barbara, where he became the curator of Santa Barbara Museum of Art from 1954 until he retired. Hesthal was active as an artist in Santa Barbara until his death on January 5, 1985. 

Works in Coit Tower:

Railroad and Shipping