George Michael Gaethke

George Michael Gaethke studied at San Francisco Art Institute, Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design and School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The recorded working language is English. Work by George Michael Gaethke is recorded in the collections of Smithsonian American Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, General Services Administration and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

• Name — George Michael Gaethke • Born — 31 July 1898 • Birthplace — Bathgate, North Dakota, United States • Died — 28 August 1982 • Place of death — Mill Valley, California, United States • Education — University of Montana, University of Washington, Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, California School of Fine Arts, School of the Art Institute of Chicago • Occupation — Visual artist • Known for — Printmaker, watercolorist, painter • Spouse — Vera Allison (m. 1919–1982; death)

George Michael Gaethke was born on July 31, 1898, in Bathgate, North Dakota, United States. From a young age he was raised in Butte, Montana. He attended the University of Montana, and the University of Washington. In 1924, Gaethke moved to San Francisco to continue his studies; where he studied under Rudolph Schaeffer at the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, and at the California School of Fine Arts (now San Francisco Art Institute). He briefly attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). In 1919, Gaethke married artist Vera Allison, and together they had one child.

In 1934, Gaethke assisted artist Maxine Albro in her mural at Coit Tower in Telegraph Hill; and he also worked for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as a lithographer. The San Francisco Museum of Art (now San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) printed Christmas cards in December 1942 for the gift shop featuring visual artists (both local and historically international), including Gaethke, Harold Mallette Dean, Herman Volz, Sargent Claude Johnson, Jacques Schnier, Tsuguharu Foujita, Jacques Callot, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and Diego Rivera. Gaethke and his wife Allison showed their artwork at Gump's in San Francisco in 1947. In 1967, Gaethke and Allison moved to Mill Valley, California, where they remained until his death. He died on August 28, 1982, in Mill Valley. Gaethke's work can be found in museum collections including at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count.