The Society of American Artists was an American artists group. It was formed in 1877 by artists who felt the

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 ...

did not adequately meet their needs, and was too conservative. The group began meeting in 1874 at the home of Richard Watson Gilder and his wife

Helena de Kay Gilder Helena de Kay Gilder (1846 - May 28, 1916) was an American painter, illustrator, and cultural tastemaker from New York City. Early life and education Helena de Kay Gilder was born in New York City in 1846. She was the daughter of Janet de Kay a ...

. In 1877 they formed the Society, and subsequently held annual art exhibitions. Helena de Kay Gilder, one of the founders, started the group after showing one painting at The National Academy of Design's annual show, where she was a student, and receiving a poor location within the show. Helena de Kay Gilder felt her paintings location reflected the academy's reluctance to accept new types of art. The group received public support from

Clarence Cook Clarence Chatham Cook (September 8, 1828 – June 2, 1900) was a 19th-century American author and art critic. Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Cook graduated from Harvard in 1849 and worked as a teacher. Between 1863 and 1869, Cook wrote a serie ...

, a writer and art critic who wrote for the ''Daily Tribune'', as well as Helena de Kay Gilder's brother, Charles de Kay who was an art columnist and editor of

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

. Journalists played a large role in helping to organize the group and spread its message of being a liberal alternative to traditional artist groups. Some of the first members included sculptor

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he tra ...

, whose work had been rejected from a National Academy exhibition in 1877; painters

Walter Shirlaw Walter Shirlaw (August 6, 1838 – December 26, 1909) was a Scottish-American artist.''Dictionary of American Biography'' (1936) Charles Scribner's Sons, New York Biography Shirlaw was born in Paisley, Scotland, and moved to the United States ...

Robert Swain Gifford Robert Swain Gifford (December 23, 1840 – January 15, 1905) was an American landscape painter. He was influenced by the Barbizon school. Early life and education Gifford was born on Nonamesset Island, in the Elizabeth Islands, When he was ...

Albert Pinkham Ryder Albert Pinkham Ryder (March 19, 1847 – March 28, 1917) was an American painter best known for his poetic and moody allegorical works and seascapes, as well as his eccentric personality. While his art shared an emphasis on subtle variations of ...

, John La Farge,

Julian Alden Weir Julian Alden Weir (August 30, 1852 – December 8, 1919) was an American impressionist painter and member of the Cos Cob Art Colony near Greenwich, Connecticut. Weir was also one of the founding members of "The Ten", a loosely allied group of ...

, John Henry Twachtman, and Alexander Helwig Wyant; and designer and artist

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art NouveauL ...

. In 1897,

Laura Coombs Hills Laura Coombs Hills (1859–1952) was an American artist and illustrator who specialized in watercolor and pastel still life paintings, especially of flowers, and miniature portrait paintings on ivory. She became the first miniature painter elected ...

became the first miniature painter elected to the Society of American Artists (and one of very few women)."Mary Bradish Titcomb." ''American Women Artists 1830-1930''. International Exhibitions Foundation for the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1987. Eventually most of the best-known artists of the day joined the group, and many held dual membership with the National Academy. The cycle of conservative to progressive repeated in 1897 when 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. Dissatisfi ...

group broke away from the Society of American Artists. The Society ultimately merged with the National Academy in 1906.

References

External links

"A Brief History of The League's Early Years" from the Art Students League web site
American artist groups and collectives Arts organizations established in the 1870s 1877 establishments in the United States 1906 disestablishments in the United States {{US-arts-org-stub

See also

References

External links