Robert Beverly Hale (1901–November 14, 1985) was an artist, curator of American paintings at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 100 ...
, and instructor of artistic anatomy at the
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists.
Although artists may stud ...
and the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Paul Richer.
Life and career
Hale was born into a prominent family in Boston, Massachusetts."I Will Never Look at Painting the Same Way Again" , ''ARTnews''. His grandfather was the clergyman and author
Edward Everett Hale
Edward Everett Hale (April 3, 1822 – June 10, 1909) was an American author, historian, and Unitarian minister, best known for his writings such as "The Man Without a Country", published in ''Atlantic Monthly'', in support of the Union dur ...
(1822-1909). Two of his father's siblings were well known artists: Ellen Day Hale and Philip Leslie Hale. He grew up in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
and studied at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...
, where he did post-graduate work at the
School of Architecture
This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world.
An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education.
Africa
...
. He also studied at the
Art Students League
The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists.
Although artists may stud ...
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
.''Negative Realist'' review of Hale exhibition in ''TIME'', 1960.
From 1942 to 1949 Hale worked as Editorial Associate for '' Art News'' magazine. A long-time Instructor of Drawing and Lecturer on Anatomy at the Art Students League, and Adjunct Professor of Drawing at Columbia, Hale taught and wrote on the principles of
chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrast (vision), contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts ...
and observation from life, encouraging his students to see and draw forms in nature as the geometric "mass conceptions" of cylinders, cubes, or spheres. His lectures at the League included demonstrations of life-size figure drawings, much as had those of his teacher and predecessor, George Brandt Bridgman.Hale, Robert Beverly, ''Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters''. Watson-Guptill, 1964.
Hale joined the staff of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 100 ...
in New York City in 1948 as the first curator of the department of contemporary American art, a position he held until 1966. Among his other accomplishments, Hale facilitated the Met's acquisition of Jackson Pollock's monumental poured painting '' Autumn Rhythm'', 1950, amid opposition from the museum's trustees.
Hale's artwork was featured in one-man shows at the Stamford Museum and at the Staempfli Gallery in New York. In addition to several books on drawing, Hale authored numerous articles, including one on drawing in the ''
Encyclopædia Britannica
The ( Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various ...
'', and an entry on "The History of American Painting" for the ''Grolier Encyclopaedia''. He also had verse and fiction published in ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...
'' and ''
Mademoiselle
Mademoiselle (abbreviated as ''Mlle'' or ''M'') may refer to:
* Mademoiselle (title), the French-language equivalent of the title "miss"
Film and television
* ''Mademoiselle'' (1966 film), a French-British drama directed by Tony Richardson
* '' ...
'' magazines.
His careers as instructor, curator, and artist were apt to overlap: according to Hale, "One day in East Hampton de Kooning came up to my little studio there and said that I was ruining any number of people by telling them about anatomy".Interview with Robert Beverly Hale at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
In 1962 Hale married the former Nike Mylonas, an art historian and the daughter of George E. Mylonas. The Hales had two children, Alexander Curzon Hale and Evelyn Everett Hale. Hale died on November 14, 1985.
Publications
*''Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters'' by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Cole. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1977.
*''Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters'' by Robert Beverly Hale. New York: Wason-Guptill Publications, 1989.
*''Artistic Anatomy'' by Dr. Paul Richer, translated by Robert Beverly Hale. New York: Watson Guptill Publications, 1971.
*''Master Class in Figure Drawing'' by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Cole. Watson-Guptill Publications, 1985. (pbK) 0-8230-0224-1