Artist Bio - Ben Austrian (1870-1921)

Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, the artist's painting career began by exhibiting a trompe l'oeil painting called A Day's Hunt that received attention in Philadelphia. This self-taught artist won international recognition for his paintings of barnyard and woodland creatures, still lifes, and landscapes.

Austrian's success came from his paintings of chickens. Through his direct observation of these birds in his studio coop and elsewhere, Austrian lovingly depicted mother hens and their chicks in painting after painting. "I paint chickens because I love them," he told a newspaper reporter in 1900.