Arthur Hill Gilbert (June 10, 1893 – April 1970http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ssdi/doc/news/112D8289724F81D4) was an

American Impressionist American Impressionism was a style of painting related to European Impressionism and practiced by American artists in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century through the beginning of the twentieth. The style is characterized by loose b ...

painter, notable as one of the practitioners of the

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

-style. Today, he is remembered for his large, colorful canvasas depicting meadows and groves of trees along the state's famed

17 Mile Drive 17-Mile Drive is a scenic road through Pebble Beach, California, Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove, California, Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula in California, much of which hugs the Pacific coastline and passes famous golf courses, mansions ...

. Gilbert was part of the group of American impressionist artists who lived and painted in the

artists' colony An art colony, also known as an artists' colony, can be defined two ways. Its most liberal description refers to the organic congregation of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, often drawn by areas of natural beauty, the prior existence o ...

scene in California at

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

and

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...

during the 1920s and 1930s.

Biography

Early life

Born on June 10, 1893 World War I Draft Registration Record in

Mt. Vernon, Illinois Mount Vernon is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,600 at the 2020 census. Mount Vernon is the principal city of the Mount Vernon Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all o ...

, Gilbert graduated from Evanston Academy (Source: www.comenosfinearts.com, 02/20/01). He then studied at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. During this period, he was taught by

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...

. After a stint at

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, Gilbert served as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the Navy in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After the war, Gilbert enjoyed "a long awaited sojourn in

Concarneau Concarneau (, meaning ''Bay of Cornouaille'') is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Concarneau is bordered to the west by the Baie de La Forêt. The town has two distinct areas: the modern town on the main ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

where he decided to study painting as a future career", according to a reminiscence by fellow artist and close friend, Abel G. Warshawsky (Source: www.fada.com profile on Gilbert as remembered by Warshawsky, referenced on 12/11/2006). Later, Gilbert attended the

Otis Art Institute Otis College of Art and Design is a private art and design school in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1918, it was the city's first independent professional school of art. The main campus is located in the former IBM Aerospace headquarte ...

(now known as

Otis College of Art and Design Otis College of Art and Design is a private art and design school in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1918, it was the city's first independent professional school of art. The main campus is located in the former IBM Aerospace headquarte ...

) and the

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and list of largest art museums, largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visit ...

The impressionist emerges

Gilbert spent nine years painting and exhibiting in Los Angeles. In 1929, he moved to the Monterey Peninsula and frequently held frequent one-man exhibitions at the

Hotel Del Monte The Hotel Del Monte was a large resort hotel in Monterey, California, from its opening in 1880 until 1942. It was one of the finest luxury hotels in North America. During World War II, it closed and the building was leased to the United State ...

Art Gallery. An online facsimile of the entire text of Vol. 1 is posted on the Traditional Fine Arts Organization website (http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/10aa/10aa557.htm ). He became widely known for his California landscapes and seascapes. Gilbert loved to paint the California Missions, especially

Mission San Juan Bautista Mission San Juan Bautista is a Spanish mission in San Juan Bautista, San Benito County, California. Founded on June 24, 1797 by Fermín Lasuén of the Franciscan order, the mission was the fifteenth of the Spanish missions established in presen ...

, whose bell tower, according to FADA.com, "received notoriety in the film ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

'', directed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

." Gilbert also painted the

Santa Barbara Mission Mission Santa Barbara ( es, link=no, Misión de Santa Bárbara) is a Spanish missions in California, Spanish mission in Santa Barbara, California. Often referred to as the ‘Queen of the Missions,’ it was founded by Padre Fermín Lasuén for t ...

Personal life

Gilbert and his wife, Audine, owned and lived in a ranch home near

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

. During his lifetime, Gilbert was active both professionally and personally with arts and culture associations including The

Bohemian Club The Bohemian Club is a private club with two locations: a city clubhouse in the Nob Hill district of San Francisco, California and the Bohemian Grove, a retreat north of the city in Sonoma County. Founded in 1872 from a regular meeting of journal ...

and the

Carmel Art Association The Carmel Art Association (CAA) is a Not-for-profit arts organization and Art museum, gallery located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The CAA is Carmel's oldest gallery. It features the work of many local artists living on the Monterey Peninsu ...

, for which he was a pioneer member.

Gilbert's legacy

In a 2001 article entitled "California Impressionism" (www.eppraisals.com, 02/20/01) which discussed the resurgence of interest in this style of early 20th-century art, Victoria Shaw-Williamson (correspondent at the time for www.keen.com) wrote, "Notably, the attention garnered by big names such as

Guy Rose Guy Orlando Rose (3 March 1867 – 17 November 1925) was an American Impressionist painter and California resident, who received national recognition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early life and education Guy Orlando Rose was b ...

is filtering down to other artists as well. Paintings by artists such as John Gamble, Arthur Hill Gilbert, and Mary Denil Morgan are now bringing higher than expected prices." Shaw-Williamson continues, "according to Patrick Kraft, of (a gallery in) Carmel and Los Angeles, artists that were considered second tier 10 or 15 years ago are now more sought after and their paintings are bringing stronger and stronger prices. As prices climb for the Guy Rose paintings, collectors are gravitating towards other artists in the school." In an essay entitled, ''Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and the Eucalyptus School in Southern California'', art authority Nancy Dustin Wall Moure wrote that Gilbert "simplified landscape to the point of poeticism."

Past notable exhibitions (in alphabetical order)

California Palace of the Legion of Honor The Legion of Honor, formally known as the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, is an art museum in San Francisco, California. Located in Lincoln Park, the Legion of Honor is a component of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which also ...

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

* Pennsylvania Academy of Art

Honors and awards

* In 1929, Gilbert was awarded the coveted Hallgarten Prize for his ''Monterey Oaks'' in an exhibition at the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. * In 1930, Gilbert went on to win both the Henry Ranger and the J. Francis Murphy Memorial Prizes. * According to FADA (Fine Arts Dealers Association Online), Gilbert "was one of the very few California Impressionists to be elected into the prestigious membership of the National Academy of Design. * Today, when at auction, many of Gilbert's works are listed in catalogs with his full name as the artist and the professional designation of "A.N.A." following.

Museum collections

According to the "Ask Art" website, referenced on 1/25/02, and The Smithsonian art archive, museums that today include Arthur Hill Gilbert in their collections include: *

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

Museum of Art *

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

Museum of California *

Springville Museum of Art The Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah, United States is the oldest museum for the visual fine arts in Utah. In 1986, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As of 2012, the museum's director is Rita Wrig ...

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...

Museum of Art-Pacific *

Selected works (in alphabetical order)

* ''

California Mission The Spanish missions in California ( es, Misiones españolas en California) comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. Founded by Catholic priests o ...

'', oil on canvas, 22 by 28 in. - Sold by a gallery in Northern California in late 2000 or early 2001. * ''

California Sycamore ''Platanus racemosa'' is a species of plane tree known by several common names, including California sycamore, western sycamore, California plane tree, and in North American Spanish aliso. ''Platanus racemosa'' is native to California and Baja C ...

s'', oil on canvas, approx. 32 × 40 in. - Last on display in a private home in Southern California from the 1950s until 1988. * ''Cloudy Day on The Seine'', 1927, oil on canvas, 32 × 40 in. - Paul Bagley Collection, as per Gerdts and South in ''California Impressionism'' page 244 (plate 238). * ''The Cove, Pt. Lobos'', c. 1935, oil on canvas, 25 × 30 in. * ''Duneland,

'', oil on canvas, 40 × 50 in. - Sold by Altadena-based John Moran Auctioneers, at The Pasadena Convention Center on June 20, 2006. Price paid by the buyer was a 2nd-highest record for this artist of $57,500.(Source: www.News-Antique.com as per JSLA Media press release, reference: Lot #82, presale estimate of $ 20K to $30K). * ''Green Hills'', oil on canvas, 20 × 23 in. - Sold for $5,000 at auction, December 2006, Butterfield and Butterfield (Source: www.bohnhams.com, Sale 14048, lot 193). * ''Green Hills at Seaside'', oil on canvas, 12 × 16 in. - Sold for $6,462.50 at auction, June 8, 2006, Butterfield and Butterfield (Source: www.bohnhams.com, Sale 7544D, lot 4240). - ''"Provenance: Property from the Baird collection, sold to benefit the Monterey Museum of Art's Exhibition program. Note: There is a landscape study painted on the reverse."'' Bonhams' catalogue, p. 145. * ''Glimpse of Hollywood Hills'', oil on canvas on panel, 12 × 14 in. - In the permanent collection at the

Museum of Art in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. * ''

Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area and its major city at the south of the bay, San Jose. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by a ...

'', c. 1930, oil on canvasboard, 9 × 12 in. Sold by a gallery in Northern California in late 2000 or early 2001.(Source: www.fada.com/trotter4.html) * ''Mt. Doud,

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

'', oil on canvas, 40 × 50 in. - Also sold by Altadena-based John Moran Auctioneers, at The Pasadena Convention Center on June 20, 2006. The buyer, Trotter Galleries of Carmel, paid a record $97,975. Note: A smaller (25" × 30") painting by the artist with the same title, though varying in color, was sold by Bonhams & Butterfields in August 2005 for a reported $29,375.(Source: www.News-Antique.com as per JSLA Media press release, reference: Lot #48, presale estimate of $ 25K to $30K). * ''A Summer

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

'', oil on canvas, 25 × 30 in. - Last on display at a gallery in California in July 2005. (Source: www.knathangallery.com) * ''Summer Path'', oil on canvas on board, 9 × 12 in. - Auctioned at Butterfield and Butterfield in May 2007 with a bid estimate of $3,000 to $5,000.(Source: www.bohnhams.com, Sale 14796, lot 735). * ''Tall Trees'', oil on canvas, 24 × 30 in. - Last on display at a gallery in Southern California in February 2001. (Source: www.binggallery.com) * ''View of

'', oil on canvas, 25 × 30 in. - Last on display at a gallery in Southern California in July 2005. (Source: www.knathangallery.com)

References

* ''Artists in California, 1786–1940'' by Edan Milton Hughes * ''California Impressionism'' by William Gerdts & Will South. Abbeville Press, New York, London. 1998. 284pp. * "Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and the Eucalyptus School in Southern California", by Nancy Dustin Wall Moure, Westpahl Publishing, Irvine, California as posted on Traditional Fine Arts Online = www.tfaoi.com/image/19.jpq (referenced on February 20, 2001 and 01/25/02). See also: "Publications in Southern California Art" Vol. 1, 2, and 3 by Nancy Dustin Wall Moure

External links

''Glimpse of Hollywood Hills'' by Arthur Hill Gilbert in the BYU Museum of Art permanent collection''Entry about Gilbert at "Ask Art.com"''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Arthur Hill 1890s births 1970 deaths 20th-century American painters American male painters American Impressionist painters Painters from California United States Navy personnel of World War I Artists from Chicago United States Navy officers Otis College of Art and Design alumni National Academy of Design associates People from Mount Vernon, Illinois Artists from Stockton, California People from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California People from Laguna Beach, California Military personnel from California Military personnel from Illinois 20th-century American male artists