Halsey Ives
Encyclopedia
Halsey Cooley Ives was the founder of the Saint Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts. The institution later became two distinct bodies; the Saint Louis Art Museum
, and the Washington University School of Art
which includes the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
. Ives was also a landscape painter, but is best remembered for the organization, administration, and popularization of art in Saint Louis, Missouri.
, then called Havana, to Hiram DuBoise Ives and Teresa (née McDowell) Ives. He studied in the School of Art at South Kensington
in England
, and took courses at other art schools. During the Civil War
he was employed as a draftsman by the United States Government, a job which sent him to Nashville, Tennessee
. After the war, he traveled throughout the country and into Mexico
, working as a designer and decorator. He settled in Saint Louis, to become part of the faculty at Washington University.
In 1874 Ives started a free evening drawing class. This was the beginning of the Saint Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts, formally inaugurated in 1879. The museum and school formed the art department at Washington University. His work drew the attention of influential and powerful people in the city. Through the financial support of Wayman Crow
a new building for the museum was completed on what is now Locust street in 1881.
Ives was called to Chicago
in 1892 to organize and conduct the art department of the World's Columbian Exposition
, or the Chicago World’s Fair as it is often called, that was to take place the following year. He was selected because of his famous broad-mindedness, his interest in the equal representation of all forms of art.
In 1894 Ives was appointed by the National Bureau of Education to examine and report upon courses of instruction and methods of work in foreign art museums and schools. He began in Giza and traveled all over the old world, tracing the development of art throughout history and its relation to the rise of civilization.
Through the efforts of Ives in the 1890’s, then a member of the city council, an ordinance was passed authorizing the erection of an art building in Forest Park
. There was, however, no funding for such a structure. It was not until the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
, or St. Louis World’s Fair, that such a plan could become a reality. Ives was chosen to be the Chief of the Department of Art at the exposition. This would be his sixth participation in such an exhibition. He had the same assistant-chief that he had worked with during Chicago’s Expo, and they worked to surpass this previous fair, and also the Paris
Exposition Universelle (1900)
in every way that they were able.
At the close of the Exposition, the structure that had housed the art show of the fair, was presented to the city of Saint Louis as the permanent home of the art collection Ives ran. Ives introduced a bill into the General Assembly for an art tax to support the maintenance of the museum. The bill was approved by the citizens of Saint Louis by a nearly 4-to-1 margin. However, the city’s controller refused to distribute the tax to the museum’s board of control, as it was not a municipal entity and so had no right to funds from taxes. The controller’s position was upheld in 1908 by the Missouri Supreme Court. This caused the formal separation of the museum from the university in 1909. As a result, the museum became a public entity. The University agreed to lend its collection and Halsey Ives to continue to direct it. The institution was renamed the City Art Museum.
The personal papers of Halsey Ives are housed in the archives of the Saint Louis Art Museum. One can view a description of the contents at this link. They are available to researchers by appointment
Saint Louis Art Museum
The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the principal U.S. art museums, visited by up to a half million people every year. Admission is free through a subsidy from the cultural tax district for St. Louis City and County.Located in Forest Park in St...
, and the Washington University School of Art
Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts is the visual arts and design degree granting branch of Washington University in St. Louis. The Sam Fox School was created in 2005 by merging the existing Colleges of Art and Architecture; the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts combines the strengths...
which includes the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, sometimes referred to simply as "The Milly", is an art museum located on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, within the university's Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. It was founded in 1881 as the St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts, and...
. Ives was also a landscape painter, but is best remembered for the organization, administration, and popularization of art in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Biography
Ives was born in Montour Falls, New YorkMontour Falls, New York
Montour Falls is a village in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 1,797 at the 2000 census. A waterfall in the village gives the village its name...
, then called Havana, to Hiram DuBoise Ives and Teresa (née McDowell) Ives. He studied in the School of Art at South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
in England
England
England 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...
, and took courses at other art schools. During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he was employed as a draftsman by the United States Government, a job which sent him to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. After the war, he traveled throughout the country and into Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, working as a designer and decorator. He settled in Saint Louis, to become part of the faculty at Washington University.
In 1874 Ives started a free evening drawing class. This was the beginning of the Saint Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts, formally inaugurated in 1879. The museum and school formed the art department at Washington University. His work drew the attention of influential and powerful people in the city. Through the financial support of Wayman Crow
Wayman Crow
Wayman Crow was one of the founders of Washington University, a St. Louis businessmen, as well as a politician. Born in Kentucky in March 1808 Crow entered into the dry goods business at the age of 12, as an apprenticeship in a general dry goods store. Eight years later Crow started his own dry...
a new building for the museum was completed on what is now Locust street in 1881.
Ives was called to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1892 to organize and conduct the art department of the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
, or the Chicago World’s Fair as it is often called, that was to take place the following year. He was selected because of his famous broad-mindedness, his interest in the equal representation of all forms of art.
In 1894 Ives was appointed by the National Bureau of Education to examine and report upon courses of instruction and methods of work in foreign art museums and schools. He began in Giza and traveled all over the old world, tracing the development of art throughout history and its relation to the rise of civilization.
Through the efforts of Ives in the 1890’s, then a member of the city council, an ordinance was passed authorizing the erection of an art building in Forest Park
Forest Park (St. Louis)
Forest Park is a public park located in western part of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is a prominent civic center and covers . The park, which opened in 1876 more than a decade after its proposal, has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and...
. There was, however, no funding for such a structure. It was not until the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
, or St. Louis World’s Fair, that such a plan could become a reality. Ives was chosen to be the Chief of the Department of Art at the exposition. This would be his sixth participation in such an exhibition. He had the same assistant-chief that he had worked with during Chicago’s Expo, and they worked to surpass this previous fair, and also the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Exposition Universelle (1900)
Exposition Universelle (1900)
The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next...
in every way that they were able.
At the close of the Exposition, the structure that had housed the art show of the fair, was presented to the city of Saint Louis as the permanent home of the art collection Ives ran. Ives introduced a bill into the General Assembly for an art tax to support the maintenance of the museum. The bill was approved by the citizens of Saint Louis by a nearly 4-to-1 margin. However, the city’s controller refused to distribute the tax to the museum’s board of control, as it was not a municipal entity and so had no right to funds from taxes. The controller’s position was upheld in 1908 by the Missouri Supreme Court. This caused the formal separation of the museum from the university in 1909. As a result, the museum became a public entity. The University agreed to lend its collection and Halsey Ives to continue to direct it. The institution was renamed the City Art Museum.
The personal papers of Halsey Ives are housed in the archives of the Saint Louis Art Museum. One can view a description of the contents at this link. They are available to researchers by appointment