An Evening with Maxwell King: “Fire in the Night Sky”
Join Maxwell King for the launch of his book, “Fire in the Night Sky.”
Discover the life and work of pioneering industrial landscape artist Aaron Gorson from author and philanthropist Maxwell King as he shares insights from his new book, “Fire in the Night Sky: The Steel Mill Paintings of Aaron Gorson.”
Born in Lithuania, Gorson came to Philadelphia in 1890 at 18 and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts before continuing his studies in Paris. He later settled in Pittsburgh, where he painted powerful and dramatic nighttime scenes of the city’s steel mills until the early 1920s.
Featuring 39 Gorson paintings, “Fire in the Night Sky” places his art within the larger story of Pittsburgh’s steel industry, revealing how the industrial and technological achievements of the era transformed Pittsburgh and the world. It is the first complete biography of the man who captured Pittsburgh’s fiery steel mills on paper.
King will be joined by History Center President and CEO Andy Masich, who will preview the museum’s upcoming exhibition on the life and artwork of Gorson, opening on Nov. 14.
Following the program, King will sign copies of “Fire in the Night Sky.”
Books will be available for purchase at the event.
Admission
Admission is $10 for non-members and $5 for members. The program will take place in the museum’s fifth floor Mueller Center.
American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be available upon request. Please contact us at [email protected] in advance to request accommodations.
About the Speaker
Maxwell King is the author of “Fire in the Night Sky: The Steel Mill Paintings of Aaron Gorson” (Lyons Press, Essex, Conn., 2026), as well as the New York Times bestseller “The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers” (Abrams Books, New York, NY, 2018), and “American Workman: The Life and Art of John Kane” (University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 2022). He is the former editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer and president of The Heinz Endowments and the Pittsburgh Foundation.