Chicago hosted the 1893

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordi ...

, a world's fair commemorating the 400th anniversary of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

's arrival in the New World. Artists from the United States and 19 foreign countries exhibited at the Exposition. A complete list of the artists and works exhibited in the Palace of Fine Arts can be found her

The Art Department's focus was on modern American painting, works painted in the 17 years since the 1876

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

. Hundreds of American painters submitted works, and more than 1,000 paintings in oil and more than 200 in watercolor were selected for exhibition in the Palace of Fine Arts. Additional works—not in competition for medals—were exhibited in other Exposition buildings, including the

Woman's Building The Woman's Building was a non-profit arts and education center located in Los Angeles, California. The Woman's Building focused on feminist art and served as a venue for the women's movement and was spearheaded by artist Judy Chicago, graphic de ...

and individual state buildings. The tradition of the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

was to award a single gold medal (first place), a couple silver medals (second place), several bronze medals (third place), and numerous honorable mentions (fourth place) in each medium (oils, watercolor, sculpture, etc.). Instead of this tiered system with medals awarded for individual paintings, Exposition judges awarded one level of medals that was for an artist's whole exhibit. Fifty-seven American painters received medals "for excellence" for works in oil, and 11 for works in watercolor.Department of Fine Arts, ''World's Columbian Exposition, Revised Catalogue, Department of Fine Arts, with Index of Exhibitors'' (Chicago: W.B. Conkey Company, 1893

/ref> Author Henry Davenport Northrop made a key observation:

The American artists are practically of three classes—those who have studied entirely in this country; those who have studied abroad, but have returned to America and partly shaken off the foreign influence; and those who have remained abroad, painting very much like the artists of the country in which they live.Henry Davenport Northrup and Nancy Huston Banks, ''The World's Fair as Seen in One Hundred Days'' (Philadelphia: Ariel Book Company, 1893

/ref>

The Exposition closed at the end of October 1893. Many of its buildings were destroyed in a July 1894 fire that swept through the vacant fairgrounds.

About this list

The table below lists American painters who received special recognition, and/or whose exhibited works can be found in the

Smithsonian Institution Research Information System The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

databas

Except where noted, the paintings were exhibited in the United States section of the Palace of Fine Arts and listed in the initial catalogue. A revised catalogue listed a small number of additional paintings. Images of the works have been added, where available, as well as their current whereabouts.

Notes

References

{{reflist Lists of artists, World

World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

Artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

1893 in art