Edward Emerson Simmons (1852-1931) was an American Impressionist painter, remembered for his

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

work.

Biography

His father was a Unitarian minister. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1874, and was a pupil of

Lefebvre Lefebvre () is a common northern French surname. Other variations include Lefèbvre, Lefèvre, Lefeuvre (western France) and Lefébure (northern France and Normandy). In the Occitan and Arpitan extension area, the variation is Fabre, Favre, Faur ...

and Boulanger in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

, where he took a gold medal. In 1894, Simmons was awarded the first commission of the

Municipal Art Society The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is a non-profit membership organization for preservation in New York City, which aims to encourage thoughtful planning and urban design and inclusive neighborhoods across the city. The organization was ...

, a series of murals—''Justice'', ''The Fates'', and ''The Rights of Man''—for the interior of the Criminal Courthouse at 100 Centre Street in Manhattan. This court is the criminal branch of New York Supreme Court (the

trial court A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...

in New York), where many New Yorkers serve on

jury duty Jury duty or jury service is service as a juror in a legal proceeding. Juror selection process The prosecutor and defense can dismiss potential jurors for various reasons, which can vary from one state to another, and they can have a specifi ...

. Later Simmons decorated the

Waldorf Astoria New York The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schult ...

hotel, the

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, and the mural series "Civilization of the Northwest" in the

Minnesota State Capitol The Minnesota State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Minnesota, in its capital city of Saint Paul. It houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the office of the Attorney General and the office ...

rotunda in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. In the year 1914, he travelled with

Childe Hassam Frederick Childe Hassam (; October 17, 1859 – August 27, 1935) was an American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. Along with Mary Cassatt and John Henry Twachtman, Hassam was instrumental in promulgating Impressioni ...

to view the Arizona desert paintings of the rising California artist

Xavier Martinez Xavier or Xabier may refer to: Place * Xavier, Spain People * Xavier (surname) * Xavier (given name) * Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint ** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation) * St. Xavier (disambiguation) * Xavier (footballer, born ...

at his Piedmont studio. Simmons was a member of the

Ten American Painters The Ten American Painters (also known as The Ten) was an artists' group formed in 1898 to exhibit their work as a unified group. John Henry Twachtman, J. Alden Weir, and Childe Hassam were the driving forces behind the organization. Dissatisfie ...

, who, as a group, seceded from the

Society of American Artists The Society of American Artists was an American artists group. It was formed in 1877 by artists who felt the National Academy of Design did not adequately meet their needs, and was too conservative. The group began meeting in 1874 at the home of ...

. He was also considered a contributor to the style known as the

American Renaissance The American Renaissance was a period of American architecture and the arts from 1876 to 1917, characterized by renewed national self-confidence and a feeling that the United States was the heir to Greek democracy, Roman law, and Renaissance ...

, a movement after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

that stressed the relationship of architecture, painting, sculpture and interior design. Simmons published his autobiography in 1922.

Vandalism of Painting

The Carpenter's Son by Edward Simmons 1889-89

In 1996 his painting "The Carpenter’s Son" located in the First Unitarian Church, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was yanked from the wall and cut out from its frame. The section depicting Jesus taken cutout and removed with the rest of the painting left lying on the floor. The lost section was found in 2006 rolled up behind a refrigerator when it was being removed from the congregation’s kitchen. The painting was then restored and ownership transferred to the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum.

Gallery

File:Awaiting his return, 1884 Edward Simmons.jpg, ''Awaiting his return'', 1884, private collection File:Edward Simmons, The Reflection, oil on canvas.jpg, ''The Reflection'' File:Girl Reading, 1893 Edward Simmons.jpg, ''Girl reading'' 1893, private collection File:Simmons12.jpg, ''Wrześniowe popołudnie'', 1892 File:Night, 1889 Edward Simmons.jpg, ''Night'' File:High Sea, 1895 Edward Simmons.jpg, ''High Sea'', 1895 File:SimmonsJulyAfternoon.jpg, ''July Afternoon'', 1906 File:Boston-Public-Gardens-Edward-Simmons.jpg, ''Boston-Public-Gardens'', 1910

Civilization of the Northwest Gallery

Image:Civilization of the Northwest-panel-1.png, Rotunda (Southeast Corner) Image:Civilization of the Northwest-panel-2.png, Rotunda (Southwest Corner) Image:Civilization of the Northwest-panel-3.png, Rotunda (Northwest Corner) Image:Civilization of the Northwest-panel-4.png, Rotunda (Northeast Corner)

Melpomene mural (Library of Congress)

File:Melpomene-Simmons-Highsmith.jpeg, ''Melpomene'' mural (full picture, 1896), at the

in Washington DC. Photograph (2007) by Carol Highsmith (1946–). File:Melpomene-Simmons-Highsmith-detail-1.jpeg, ''Melpomene'' mural (detail, 1896), at the

in Washington DC. Photograph (2007) by Carol Highsmith (1946–).

References

*Edward Simmons
''From Seven to Seventy: Memories of a Painter and a Yankee, with an Interruption by Oliver Herford.''
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1922.

Oliver Herford Oliver Herford (2 December 1860 – 5 July 1935) was an Anglo-American writer, artist, and illustrator known for his pithy ''bon mots'' and skewed sense of humor. He was born in Sheffield, England on 2 December 1860 to Rev. Brooke Herford a ...

(1863–1935) was an American author and illustrator.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Edward 1852 births 1931 deaths St Ives artists 19th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American painters American Impressionist painters American muralists Harvard College alumni Académie Julian alumni 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists