Benjamin West

West, Benjamin (1738–1820), U.S.-born painter. After studying in Rome he settled in London (1763) and was appointed the official historical painter (1772) to King George III. He was also a founder of the Royal Academy of Arts. His best-known works are Death of General Wolfe (1771) and Perm's Treaty with the Indians (1776). Gilbert Stuart and J.S. Copley were among his students.