Artist who painted NY’s American Museum of Natural History diorama dies in Vt.

TOWNSEND, Vt. – A painter who created dioramas for the American Museum of Natural History in New York City has died. Fred F. Scherer died Nov. 25 in the Vermont town of Townshend. He was 98.

His daughter Deidre Scherer, also an artist, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that millions of people have walked by the dioramas and not known who the artists were.

Fred Scherer was born in Queens, N.Y., and learned how to paint dioramas — three-dimensional background scenes — from artist James Perry Wilson.

From 1934 to 1972, he created or collaborated on many dioramas in the museum. His daughter says he created at least 15 of them in the Chapman Memorial Bird Hall, the African Hall and the North American Mammal Hall.