Minerva Teichert

Minerva Bernetta Kohlhepp Teichert (August 28, 1888 – May 3, 1976) was a 20th-century American artist who painted Western and Mormon subjects, including murals of scenes from the Book of Mormon. She received her art education from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League of New York, and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Religious-themed artwork by Teichert includes Christ in a Red Robe, Queen Esther, and Rescue of the Lost Lamb. She painted 42 murals related to stories in the Book of Mormon which reside in Brigham Young University's (BYU) Museum of Art. Teichert was the first woman invited to paint a mural for an LDS Church temple. Both of her parents supported her creativity and imagination.

Chicago and New York education Teichert studied at the Art Institute of Chicago under John Vanderpoel.

In 1917, she returned to Idaho. On September 15, 1917, she married Herman Adolph Teichert. After their marriage, he left to fight in World War I. The couple had five children. Minerva spent most of her life on a ranch in Cokeville, Wyoming, while painting the things she knew and loved best: scenes from western Americana, and religious artwork expressing her deeply held convictions. She once explained "I must paint", when asked about how she persisted in painting despite being in near-complete artistic isolation, without a dedicated studio or even much free time to create. Teichert was an independent, opinionated woman who stood up for women's rights and was an outspoken political conservative. She shared her talents with others and gave art lessons out of her home.

In 1947, Teichert won first prize in the LDS Church's centennial art contest and was the first woman to paint a mural for an LDS temple. She originally considered making plays on the subject of the Book of Mormon, but instead made paintings. She used live models, costumes based on sketches she had done while traveling in Mexico, and painted backdrops. Teichert painted over 400 murals,

Teichert's distinctive style can be seen in the painting Christ in the Red Robe, in which women can be seen reaching out to Christ. He is depicted in a red robe at his second coming, referencing Isaiah. The colors are mostly subdued, except for the central figure who is brightly illustrated.

Teichert painted much of the clothing with patterns, a detail unique to her paintings. She would also include the color red to add contrast. She often left the edges unfinished or just sketched. Several of Teichert's works are also on display on the campus of Brigham Young University–Idaho. Teichert's Book of Mormon murals are part of the collection at the BYU Museum of Art.

Church service Teichert was a member of the LDS Church, and her faith impacted the subjects of much of her work. She was the first woman sent on an art mission by the church, first to Chicago, and then to New York City She served in various responsibilities in the church, including Primary president and on the Stake Sunday School Board. She also worked in the Young Women organization. "Pioneers: Water Scene," from 1936, is in the collection of the Brigham City Museum. Along with other renowned American artists of the twentieth-century, Teichert's work was featured in the semi-permanent exhibition "Becoming America" at BYU's Museum of Art from 2019 to 2022.

Lost work In the aftermath of the 17 December 2010 Provo Tabernacle fire, the fate of the 1934 Teichert painting Restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which had been inside the tabernacle, remained unknown until 22 December. Due to the significance of the painting, the Provo fire marshal permitted members of the fire task force to enter the east end of the ruined building despite dangerous conditions. In the late afternoon, searchers located the remnants of the painting.

The painting was almost completely destroyed by the fire–its remnants were identifiable primarily by the melted Plexiglass of its protective cover. The fragment was displayed along with 45 original Teichert paintings at an exhibit at the Church History Museum from July 2023-July 2024.

The painting, valued at $1.5 million (10% of the building's total estimated loss in the fire ), was self-insured by the church. The loss resulted in a project to catalog all original artworks in the church's buildings throughout the United States and Canada, an effort which tallied ten Teichert paintings in need of restoration or preservation.

Conservation In March 2021, the LDS Church announced that historic murals had been removed from the interior of the Salt Lake Temple during a renovation project aimed at increasing temple capacity. As part of a similar project, it was also announced that nearly 4000 square feet of mural painting by Teichert would be removed from the World Room of Manti Utah Temple. The mural covered the entire interior wall surface of the room, which Teichert's grandson described as the Latter-day Saint equivalent of the Sistine Chapel. Plans called for the murals at both the Manti and Salt Lake temples to be "carefully photographed and documented before removal," and noted "some of the original portions are being preserved in the church's archives."

The plan attracted considerable public outcry, and 12 days later, officials amended the plans for the Manti Temple, announcing their intent to secure the advice of art preservation experts. The Teichert estate alleged that during March or April 2020, while the building was closed and inaccessible to the public in consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the paintings had been replaced with prints of the same works by the Church History Department. Alan Johnson, director of the Church History Museum indicated the paintings had been removed at the direction of the church’s First Presidency as part of a series of removals of Teichert originals from various local meetinghouses ahead of an exhibition at the BYU Museum of Art. The matter was set for decision by jury trial in Wyoming federal court in September 2023. The suit claimed the defendants had each violated copyright by selling unauthorized reproductions of numerous Teichert artworks and profiting from unauthorized use of the artist's name and image.