A.H. Gorson: Painting the Steel City
OPENING NOV. 14, 2026
“Pittsburgh is not only the greatest industrial city in the world, but perhaps the most beautiful as well, not so much for its architecture or planning of streets and parks as for its great engineering.”
-Aaron Harry Gorson
Experience Pittsburgh through the eyes of pioneering landscape artist Aaron Harry Gorson in the History Center’s new exhibition, A.H. Gorson: Painting the Steel City.
Inspired by Maxwell King’s new Gorson biography, “Fire in the Night Sky,” the exhibit brings together 44 of Gorson’s paintings from museums and private collections, including several that have never been publicly exhibited.
Alongside historic photographs, archival materials, and steelmaking objects, Painting the Steel City reveals the story of the artist who found inspiration in Pittsburgh during its heyday as the center of American steelmaking.
A Jewish immigrant from Lithuania, Gorson arrived in Pittsburgh in 1902, commissioned to paint frescoes in Rodef Shalom’s downtown synagogue. Captivated by his surroundings, he soon turned his attention to the steel mills. Where others saw grit and grime, Gorson saw light, color, and beauty.
Trained as a portrait painter, Gorson began painting the mills in 1904, returning again and again to capture the fire and smoke emanating from working mills such as Jones & Laughlin on Pittsburgh’s South Side. These dramatic exterior landscapes came to define his work and were collected by industrialists and executives of the era.
Through Gorson’s eyes, the mills became symbols of the vitality and power of Pittsburgh — America’s Steel City.
Exhibit Highlights
- 44 Gorson paintings from museums and private collections, including his celebrated nighttime mill landscapes and several privately owned pieces that have never been publicly exhibited
- An immersive entrance that invites visitors to step into one of Gorson’s dramatic paintings
- Rare Gorson paintings of steel mill interiors paired with historic materials and objects that reveal the workers behind his industrial scenes, including a 1904 Jones & Laughlin open-hearth crew photograph, 1931 footage from inside a Pittsburgh steel mill, and a danger sign from Rivers of Steel written in eight different languages
- A look at Gorson’s work beyond the steel industry, including his portrait of Abraham Lincoln from the Washington County Historical Society and an ethereal painting of Central Park created during the last decade of his life
- Hands-on interactives exploring Gorson’s use of light and perspective, including the chance to create a Gorson-inspired work of your own
Discover how Gorson’s paintings fit into the larger story of Pittsburgh’s steel industry and how it helped shape the modern world in A.H. Gorson: Painting the Steel City. The exhibition will be on view through Sept. 19, 2027.
Image Gallery
