Born 1900 , Centerville, South Dakota
Died 1968, New York City

West began drawing at the age of two years according to his mother’s diary. His father was a Congregational Church Minister. His schooling took him to the University of Minnesota for four years on a scholarship from 1920 to 1924. With art not allowed by the scholarship he took up economics and business, but he was also befriended by two art instructors, S. Chatwood Burton and Ruth Raymond, with whom he studied independently. He became art editor of the “Minnesota Daily” while at the University and was also the director of the Annual for his graduating class. In 1925, on the way to Boston, he stopped in New York where he visited the Art Students League and meet Joseph Pennell. Pennell convinced him to stay and study art, particularly etching and to forget Harvard. He stayed two years.

By 1930 he had over 100 plates to his credit.  He had traveled to Spain in 1926 as illustrator to work with the author of a book (“Vivid Spain”), he was official artist for the World Press Congress in Geneva and was back in New York for Lindbergh’s flight. In 1927-28 he made trips to Glacier National Park, the Canadian Rockies and the Southwest United States - and many scenes therefrom became etchings.

West printed all his own work and in so doing, frequently reworked the drypoint lines of a plate while printing an edition. Thus there will be slight variations from some prints to others within an edition. He worked equally well with or without human subjects in his scenes. He wrote and illustrated the book “Levon West - Making an Etching”.

The original catalogue raisonne of his works is the Otto Torrington edition of 1930 which covered all graphic works up to that time.

Note: Some sources have the place of his birth incorrect. The Torrington catalogue written during West’s lifetime ought to be accurate.