Artist William Glackens

Cape Cod Pier 1908

This astonishing monograph accompanies the first major retrospective  of William Glackens works of art, at The   Nova Southeastern University’s Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 23–June 1, 2014. Then the exhibit will travel to Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York, July 20–October 13, 2014, and finally The Barnes in Philadelphia from November 8th 1024 to February 2 2015

In a richly illustrated volume  we are provided a comprehensive introduction to William Glackens (1870-1938), not only an important American realist painter, one of the liveliest and most influential painters of the early twentieth century. Glackens was a  founder of the Ashcan School, along with painters such as Robert Henri and John Sloan. He was very crucial to the introduction of modern art in the United States through his collaboration with Albert C. Barnes and his championing of landmark exhibitions of American and European avant-garde art. 

Traveling to Europe with Barnes in 1912, they returned with works by Renoir, Picasso, Pissaro, Van Gogh, Cezanne and others, thus beginning the world renowned Barnes Collection of Art

The Ashcan School was an artistic movement during the early 20th Century. This group of artists often produced works depicting scenes of daily life in New York City. The most famous artists working in this style included Robert Henri (1865–1929), George Luks (1867–1933),William Glackens (1870–1938), John Sloan (1871–1951), and Everett Shinn (1876–1953), Several of these men met while studying with  the renowned realist Thomas Anshutz at  The Philadelphia  Academy of the Fine Arts.  Several also worked together as illustrators during this time period.

William and Glenna Glackens 1914

The finest of his works spanning over a fifty-year career, includes paintings previously unknown to the general public, are reproduced in this magnificent tome including intimate nudes, portraits, and figure studies to vivid still lifes, vibrant street scenes, and landscapes, in which he captured people and their surroundings with matchless spontaneity and spirit. The book features essays by important scholars examining the artist's relationship with French painting, his social observation and interest in costume, his depiction of women, and his role as a tastemaker.

This is the first all inclusive survey of William Glackens in nearly half a century, and this exhibition brings together 45 paintings and 20–25 works on paper from public and private collections throughout the United States. Glackens’s influential career spanned five decades and this exhibition will enlighten  a new generation with the breadth of his oeuvre. Glackens reveals through his art his delightful passion for life, as well as his cache of refined, painterly techniques. Several important canvases and works on paper will be on public view for the first time.

A Spring Morning in Washington Square  by William Glackens, New York 1910 over for Colliers Weekly Magazine

Artist's Daughter in Chinese Costume 1918

Glackens urged his younger friends and students to paint in the robust, loose, and unrefined  spirit of his favorite poet, Walt Whitman, and to be unafraid of affronting the current tastes. He believed that working-class and middle-class urban settings would provide better material for modern painters than drawing rooms and salons.

Girl with Apple 1909-1910

There is both an intensity and luminosity to his palette. When I look at many of Glacken's paintings, there seems to be a slight veil that beckons one to peek behind and see into the real glory.

Bathers at Bellport

The sea was an important part of Glacken's life and a recurring setting for many works of art. His bold bright and spontaneous brushwork is breathtaking.

While you may see influences of Monet, Cezanne, Hopper, and others, Glacken's style stands out in a most compelling and beckoning way that you will love!

Images and publication courtesy of Skira Rizzoli

You may purchase William Glackens , Edited by Avis Berman, Contribution by Elizabeth Thompson Colleary, Heather Campbell Coyle, Judith F. Dolkart and Alicia G. Longwell  at Rizzoli New York

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xoxo

Karena

The Arts by Karena