John Hafen was born in Switzerland in 1856. His family brought him to Utah when he was six years old. The family settled first in Payson, but later moved to Salt Lake City. In 1881, Hafen helped to found the Utah Art Association in order to encourage the advancement of art in Utah. In 1890, Hafen was sent to study art in Paris by the LDS Church. When he returned to Utah in 1892 he began work on the murals for the Salt Lake Temple. He later taught at the Brigham Young Academy. Hafen lived in Springville, Utah for many years with his wife and ten children. He later moved to Indiana, where he died of pneumonia in 1910. Hafen left a legacy of many great works of art, and was one of the great artists of early Utah.