Monee’s Artist: Andrew Gunderson

Andrew Severin Gunderson, a self-taught artist with a vivid imagination, lived and worked in Monee for most of his life, quietly shaping the village’s creative legacy. Born on June 16, 1888, in Wallingford, Iowa, Gunderson had little formal education, but his natural artistic talent led him to become a professional artist in Chicago by the age of 15. By 18, he had his own studio and later opened the A. Gunderson Art Company.

In 1915, he moved to Monee, Illinois, where he set up a studio inside his home—right next to what is now the Andrew S. Gunderson Roundabout, located at Court Street and Egyptian Trail. The roundabout was officially dedicated in his honor by the Monee Historical Society in 2020.

For more than 40 years, people from Monee and neighboring communities would visit Andy in his upstairs studio to purchase his artwork directly from him, often to celebrate special occasions. These treasured pieces have been passed down through generations, continuing to inspire new audiences.

Though his skill was undeniable, Gunderson intentionally priced his art affordably, believing that everyone deserved to experience beauty in their lives.

He worked primarily in pastels—preferring them over oil paints for their quicker drying time—and sold his landscape pieces through Vilas-Mages catalogues and at Marshall Field’s in Chicago. His dreamlike scenes, often drawn entirely from his imagination, almost always featured water, white birch trees, and rustic touches like log cabins or Native American tepees.

Even after retiring in the late 1950s, Gunderson never truly stopped creating. Today, his legacy lives on in Monee—not just through the artwork that remains, but also in the presence of his home studio, which still stands beside the roundabout. Gunderson is buried in St. Paul’s Cemetery, but his artistic spirit remains a cherished part of Monee’s story.