John Quinn (collector)
Encyclopedia
John Quinn was a second generation Irish-American corporate lawyer in New York, who for a time was an important patron of major figures of post-impressionism
and literary modernism
, and collector in particular of original manuscripts.
during his lifetime. He met W. B. Yeats in 1902, and was a major supporter.
He was an organizer and spokesperson for the 1913 Armory Show
, and later legal defender of James Joyce
and T. S. Eliot
. He was a friend of Ezra Pound
.
He was a supporter of the Irish nationalist cause and associated with figures such as John Devoy
and Roger Casement
, though he worked for British Intelligence services before, during and after World War I
. In this role he acted as case officer for, among others, Aleister Crowley
who was an agent provocateur
posing as an Irish nationalist in order to infiltrate anti-British groups of Irish and Germans in the United States.
to overturn the 1909 Tariff Law, which retained the duty on foreign works of art less than twenty years old and which discouraged collecting modern European art.
A huge and controversial event, the 1913 Armory Show (officially The International Exhibition of Modern Art, in New York City
) included examples of Symbolism, Impressionism
, Post-Impressionism
, Neo-Impressionism
, and Cubism
. John Quinn opened the exhibition with the words:
, to an Irish baker and grocer, James W. Quinn, and Mary Quinlaw Quinn, and grew up in nearby Fostoria, Ohio
, where his parents relocated in 1871. His paternal grandparents, James and Mary (Madigan) Quinn, natives of County Limerick
, Ireland
, settled in Tiffin in 1851, where the grandfather was a blacksmith by trade.
Quinn died at age 54 and was buried by his family in Fostoria, Ohio.
Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism is the term coined by the British artist and art critic Roger Fry in 1910 to describe the development of French art since Manet. Fry used the term when he organized the 1910 exhibition Manet and Post-Impressionism...
and literary modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
, and collector in particular of original manuscripts.
Life
John Quinn became a successful New York lawyer, art patron and collector, and collector of manuscripts. He was the principal supporter and purchaser of manuscripts of Joseph ConradJoseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
during his lifetime. He met W. B. Yeats in 1902, and was a major supporter.
He was an organizer and spokesperson for the 1913 Armory Show
Armory Show
Many exhibitions have been held in the vast spaces of U.S. National Guard armories, but the Armory Show refers to the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art that was organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors...
, and later legal defender of James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
and T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
. He was a friend of Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
.
He was a supporter of the Irish nationalist cause and associated with figures such as John Devoy
John Devoy
John Devoy was an Irish rebel leader and exile.-Early life:Devoy was born near Kill, County Kildare. In 1861 he travelled to France with an introduction from T. D. Sullivan to John Mitchel...
and Roger Casement
Roger Casement
Roger David Casement —Sir Roger Casement CMG between 1911 and shortly before his execution for treason, when he was stripped of his British honours—was an Irish patriot, poet, revolutionary, and nationalist....
, though he worked for British Intelligence services before, during and after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In this role he acted as case officer for, among others, Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
who was an agent provocateur
Agent provocateur
Traditionally, an agent provocateur is a person employed by the police or other entity to act undercover to entice or provoke another person to commit an illegal act...
posing as an Irish nationalist in order to infiltrate anti-British groups of Irish and Germans in the United States.
Art promotion
In 1913, he convinced the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to overturn the 1909 Tariff Law, which retained the duty on foreign works of art less than twenty years old and which discouraged collecting modern European art.
A huge and controversial event, the 1913 Armory Show (officially The International Exhibition of Modern Art, in New York City
New York City
New 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...
) included examples of Symbolism, Impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
, Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism is the term coined by the British artist and art critic Roger Fry in 1910 to describe the development of French art since Manet. Fry used the term when he organized the 1910 exhibition Manet and Post-Impressionism...
, Neo-Impressionism
Neo-impressionism
Neo-impressionism was coined by French art critic Félix Fénéon in 1886 to describe an art movement founded by Georges Seurat. Seurat’s greatest masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, marked the beginning of this movement when it first made its appearance at an exhibition...
, and Cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
. John Quinn opened the exhibition with the words:
Family
Quinn was born in Tiffin, OhioTiffin, Ohio
Tiffin is a city in and the county seat of Seneca County, Ohio, United States. The population was 18,135 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Tiffin as a Tree City USA....
, to an Irish baker and grocer, James W. Quinn, and Mary Quinlaw Quinn, and grew up in nearby Fostoria, Ohio
Fostoria, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,931 people, 5,565 households, and 3,628 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,917.6 people per square mile . There were 6,024 housing units at an average density of 829.2 per square mile...
, where his parents relocated in 1871. His paternal grandparents, James and Mary (Madigan) Quinn, natives of County Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, settled in Tiffin in 1851, where the grandfather was a blacksmith by trade.
Quinn died at age 54 and was buried by his family in Fostoria, Ohio.
Additional reading
- William M. Murphy. Prodigal Father: the Life of John Butler YeatsJohn Butler YeatsJohn Butler Yeats was an Irish artist and the father of William Butler Yeats, Lily Yeats, Lollie Yeats and Jack B. Yeats. He is probably best known for his portrait of the young William Butler Yeats which is one of a number of his portraits of Irishmen and women in the Yeats museum in the National...
(1839-1922) (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1978; paperback 1979; revised paperback, Syracuse University Press, 2001) - Richard and Janis Londraville. Dear Yeats, Dear Pound, Dear Ford: Jeanne Robert FosterJeanne Robert FosterJeanne Robert Foster was an American poet from the Adirondack Mountains. She was born Julia Elizabeth Oliver in Johnsburg, New York....
and Her Circle of Friends (Syracuse University Press, 2001) - Janis and Richard Londraville, eds. John Quinn: Selected Irish Writers from his Library (Syracuse University Press, 2001)
External links
- Tiffin, Ohio (John Quinn Birthplace)Tiffin, OhioTiffin, OhioTiffin is a city in and the county seat of Seneca County, Ohio, United States. The population was 18,135 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Tiffin as a Tree City USA....
, see Reid biography for more information.