1939 in art
Encyclopedia
Events
- First of the Madeline books, illustrated by Ludwig BemelmansLudwig BemelmansLudwig Bemelmans was an Austrian author, an internationally known gourmet, and a writer and illustrator of children's books. He is most noted today for his Madeline books, six of which were published from 1939-1961...
. - Release of Detective Comics #27, the debut of BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
. - Ben NicholsonBen NicholsonBenjamin Lauder "Ben" Nicholson, OM was a British painter of abstract compositions , landscape and still-life.-Background and Training:...
and Barbara HepworthBarbara HepworthDame Barbara Hepworth DBE was an English sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism, and with such contemporaries as Ivon Hitchens, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Naum Gabo she helped to develop modern art in Britain.-Life and work:Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth was born on 10 January 1903 in Wakefield,...
settle near St Ives, CornwallSt Ives, CornwallSt Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
, effectively establishing the St Ives SchoolSt Ives SchoolThe St Ives School refers to a group of artists living and working in the Cornish town of St Ives.-History:The town became a magnet for artists following the extension to West Cornwall of the Great Western Railway in 1877...
of abstract avant-garde artists. - Exhibition "Contemporary Unknown American Painters" at the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
introduces Grandma MosesGrandma MosesAnna Mary Robertson Moses , better known as "Grandma Moses", was a renowned American folk artist. She is often cited as an example of an individual successfully beginning a career in the arts at an advanced age. Although her family and friends called her either "Mother Moses" or "Grandma Moses,"...
to the public.
Awards
- Archibald PrizeArchibald PrizeThe Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor of The Bulletin who died in 1919...
: Max MeldrumMax MeldrumDuncan Max Meldrum was a Scottish born Australian painter. He is known as the founder of Australian Tonalism, a representational style of painting, as well as his portrait work, for which he won the Archibald Prize in 1939 and 1940.-Early Life and Training:Meldrum was born in Edinburgh, Scotland,...
- The Hon G J Bell, Speaker of the House of Representatives
Works
- Paul DelvauxPaul DelvauxPaul Delvaux was a Belgian painter, associated with Surrealism, famous for his paintings of female nudes.-Biography:...
- The Phases of the Moon I - Aaron DouglasAaron DouglasAaron Douglas was an African American painter and a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance.-Early life:...
- Power Plant, Harlem - Julio GonzálezJulio González (sculptor)Juli González i Pellicer was a Catalan abstract and cubist painter and sculptor.-Biography:Born in Barcelona, as a young man he worked with his older brother, Joan, in his father's metal smith workshop. Both brothers took evening classes in art at the Escuela de Bellas Artes...
, Monsieur Cactus - Fernand LégerFernand LégerJoseph Fernand Henri Léger was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of Cubism which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style...
- Adam and Eve
Births
- February 16 - David GriffithsDavid Griffiths (portrait painter)David Griffiths , is a Welsh portrait painter. He was born in Liverpool, England, but the family moved to Pwllheli when he was seven...
, portrait painter - March 17 - Jim GaryJim GaryJim Gary was an American sculptor popularly known for his large, colorful creations of dinosaurs made from discarded automobile parts...
, AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sculptorSculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
(d.20062006 in art-Events:*Rembrandt 400: Series of activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the birth of Rembrandt.*31 August – The stolen Edvard Munch paintings The Scream and Madonna are recovered in a police raid in Oslo, Norway....
) - March 24 - Gérard CosteGerard CosteGérard Coste , is a painter and diplomat, born in Marseille. A graduate of the [SciencesPo Paris ], HEC Paris and the École nationale d'administration , he began his diplomatic career in Laos in 1964, later serving in Japan...
, painter and diplomat - April 1 - Spider MartinSpider MartinJames "Spider" Martin was an American photographer known for his work documenting the American Civil Rights Movement....
, photographer (d.20032003 in art-Events:*January 21 – The Spire of Dublin is completed.*May 11 – Benvenuto Cellini's Saliera is stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.*November – Gustav Klimt's Landhaus am Attersee sells for $29,128,000.-Full date unknown:...
) - April 8 - Trina Schart HymanTrina Schart HymanTrina Schart Hyman was an American illustrator of children's books. She illustrated over 150 books, including fairy tales and Arthurian legends, and was the recipient of three Caldecott Honors and one Caldecott Medal....
, AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
illustratorIllustratorAn Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
of children's books (d.20042004 in artThe year 2004 in art involved some significant events.-Events:*24 May – A fire in the Momart storage warehouse destroys major works by Helen Chadwick, Tracey Emin, Patrick Heron, Damien Hirst and other British artists.-Awards:...
) - April 25 - Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of LichfieldPatrick Anson, 5th Earl of LichfieldThomas Patrick John Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield was an English photographer. He inherited the Earldom of Lichfield in 1960 from his paternal grandfather. In his professional practice he was known as Patrick Lichfield.- Career :Lord Lichfield was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst, and joined the...
, EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
photographer (d.20052005 in art-Events:*12–27 February, 2005 – Christo and wife Jeanne-Claude create The Gates in New York's Central Park*30 September – Controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.-Awards:...
). - November 2 - Richard SerraRichard SerraRichard Serra is an American minimalist sculptor and video artist known for working with large-scale assemblies of sheet metal. Serra was involved in the Process Art Movement.-Early life and education:...
, sculptor. - December 23 - Nancy GravesNancy GravesNancy Graves was an American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and sometime-filmmaker known for her focus on natural phenomena like camels or maps of the moon...
, AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sculptor, painter and printmaker (d.19961996 in art-Awards:*Archibald Prize – Wendy Sharpe, Self Portrait as Diana of Erskineville*Jan Amos Comenius Medal – Yaacov Agam, for the "Agam Method" for visual education of young children* The Inaugural Hugo Boss Prize – Matthew Barney...
).
Deaths
- April 11 - S. S. Van DineS. S. Van DineS. S. Van Dine was the pseudonym of Willard Huntington Wright , a U.S art critic and author. He created the once immensely popular fictional detective Philo Vance, who first appeared in books in the 1920s, then in movies and on the radio.-Early life and career:Willard Huntington Wright was born...
, art critic (b. 18881888 in art-Events:*July 14 - The Monument à Léon Gambetta, by Jean-Paul Aubé, is inaugurated at the Louvre*Paul Ranson, Paul Sérusier and Maurice Denis become fellow students at the Académie Julian*Vincent Van Gogh begins his Sunflowers series-Exhibitions:...
) - June 3 - Sir Philip SassoonPhilip SassoonSir Philip Albert Gustave David Sassoon, 3rd Baronet, GBE, CMG , was a British politician, art collector and social host, entertaining many celebrity guests at his homes, Port Lympne, Kent, and Trent Park, Hertfordshire, England.-Family:Sassoon was a member of the prominent Sassoon family and...
, art collector (b. 18881888 in art-Events:*July 14 - The Monument à Léon Gambetta, by Jean-Paul Aubé, is inaugurated at the Louvre*Paul Ranson, Paul Sérusier and Maurice Denis become fellow students at the Académie Julian*Vincent Van Gogh begins his Sunflowers series-Exhibitions:...
) - June 23 - Mark Gertler, painter (b. 18911891 in art-Events:*Henri Matisse begins his studies at the Académie Julian.*Correspondence of Marie Bashkirtseff and Gustave Flaubert is published.*Impressionist Armand Guillaumin wins 100,000 francs in the French state lottery and is able to devote himself to painting full-time.*Felix Vallotton makes his...
) - July 21 - Ambroise VollardAmbroise VollardAmbroise Vollard is regarded as one of the most important dealers in French contemporary art at the beginning of the twentieth century...
, art dealer (b. 18661866 in art-Works:*Paul Cézanne - Portrait of Louis-Auguste Cézanne, Father of the Artist, reading l'Evénement *Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - Agostino...
) - August 14 - Isaak BrodskyIsaak BrodskyIsaak Izrailevich Brodsky , was a Soviet painter whose work provided a blueprint for the art movement of socialist realism. He is known for his iconic portrayals of Lenin and idealized, carefully crafted paintings dedicated to the events of the Russian Civil War and Bolshevik Revolution.Brodsky was...
, socialist realist painter (b. 18841884 in art-Works:*Edvard Munch - Morning*Georges-Pierre Seurat - Bathers at Asnières-Births:*5 February - Vlastislav Hofman, Czech painter and architect -Works:*Edvard Munch - Morning*Georges-Pierre Seurat - Bathers at Asnières-Births:*5 February - Vlastislav Hofman, Czech painter and architect...
) - August 24 - Frederick Carl FriesekeFrederick Carl FriesekeFrederick Carl Frieseke was an American Impressionist painter who spent most of his life as an expatriate in France. An influential member of the Giverny art colony, his paintings often concentrated on various effects of dappled sunlight...
, American Impressionist painter (b. 18741874 in art-Events:*April 15 - First Impressionist exhibition opens in a private studio outside the official Paris Salon; Louis Leroy in the French satirical newspaper Le Charivari coins the term "impressionism"....
) - August 29 - Jessica DismorrJessica DismorrJessica Dismorr was an English painter and illustrator and one of only two women members of the Vorticist movement.-Early life:Dismorr was born at Gravesend, England, and moved with her family to Hampstead in the 1890s...
, Vorticist painter (b. 18851885 in art-Events:*"Glasgow Boys" first exhibit collectively, at the Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts.-Works:* Thomas Eakins - The Swimming Hole.*Stanhope Forbes - .*Ellen Day Hale - Self Portrait * Juan Luna - Odalisque....
) (suicide) - September 6 - Arthur RackhamArthur RackhamArthur Rackham was an English book illustrator.-Biography:Rackham was born in London as one of 12 children. At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art.In 1892 he left his job and started working for The...
, illustrator (b. 18671867 in art-Paintings:*George Henry Boughton - Pilgrims Going To Church*Giuseppe Calì - Death of Dragut *Edgar Degas - The Bellelli Family completed *Édouard Manet...
) - September 18 - Gwen JohnGwen JohnGwendolen Mary John was a Welsh artist who worked in France for most of her career. She is noted for her still lifes and for her portraits, especially of anonymous female sitters...
(b. 18761876 in art-Works:*Lawrence Alma-Tadema - An Audience at Agrippa's*Edward Mitchell Bannister - Under the Oaks*Albert Fitch Bellows - Sunday in Devonshire*Gustave Caillebotte - Le pont de l'Europe *Paul Cézanne - Vase of Flowers...
), painter, sister of Augustus JohnAugustus JohnAugustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom.... - December 1 - Jorma Gallen-KallelaJorma Gallen-KallelaJorma Gallen-Kallela was a Finnish artist. He followed in the footsteps of his father, the famed artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela....
, painter (b. 18981898 in art-Paintings:*Herbert James Draper – The Lament for Icarus*Paul Gauguin – The White Horse *Edvard Munch – Metabolism-January to June:*3 February – Alvar Aalto, Finnish architect and designer...
) - December 14 - Helene Kröller-MüllerHelene Kröller-MüllerHelene Kröller-Müller was one of the first European women to put together a major art collection.She was born Helene Emma Laura Juliane Müller at Essen-Horst, Germany, into a wealthy industrialist family...
, art collector (b. 18691869 in art-Paintings:*Lawrence Alma-Tadema - The Wine Shop*Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - Femme Lisant *Gustave Courbet - The Cliff at Etretat after the Storm...
) - December 18 - Ernest LawsonErnest LawsonErnest Lawson was a Canadian-American painter and a member of The Eight, a group of artists which included the group's leaders Robert Henri, Everett Shinn, John Sloan, Arthur B. Davies, Maurice Prendergast, George Luks, and William J. Glackens...
, Canadian-American painter, member of The Eight (b. 18731873 in art-Events:* World exhibition in Vienna.* Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, and Sisley organize the Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs, etc. for the purpose of exhibiting artworks independently....
) - December 25 - Margrethe MatherMargrethe MatherMargrethe Mather was a photographer who, through her exploration of light and form, helped to transform photography into a modern art.- Personal life :...
, photographer and painter (b. 18861886 in art-Events:* April - New English Art Club mounts its first exhibition, at the Egyptian Hall, London, providing an alternative to the Royal Academy for younger artists, such as Philip Wilson Steer, under the influence of Paris....
) - December 27 - Rinaldo CuneoRinaldo CuneoRinaldo Cuneo , dubbed the Painter of San Francisco, was an American artist known for his landscape paintings and murals.-Early life and education:...
, American painter (b. 18771877 in art-Works:-Paintings:*Frederick Arthur Bridgman - The Funeral Procession of a Mummy on the Nile*Gustave Caillebotte - Rue de Paris; Temps de pluie...
) - date unknown - Jane Mary DealyJane Mary DealyJane Mary Dealy was an English artist of the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She was noted for her pictures of children, and was a successful illustrator of children's books....
, painter and illustrator (birth date unknown)