Childe Hassam

Born: 1859
City and Country of Origin: Dorchester, Massachusetts
Painting School: Impressionists
Art Training: Boston Art Club; studied with Ignaz Marcel Gaugengigl; Academie Julian
Exhibitions: Paris Salon 1887-88-89;
Awards: Bronze medal Exposition Universelle
Major Works: "Grand Prix Day," "Washington Arch, Spring"
Childe Hassam Biography: His name is an American derivative of the English name Horsham. Among his ancestors are Nathaniel Hawthorne and William Morris Hunt. He left high school without his degree to take a job in an accounting firm and then with a Boston wood engraver. It was here that he rose from the ranks of apprentice to staff artist. This success gave him the courage to leave the firm and begin a career as a free-lance illustrator. He traveled extensively through Europe doing watercolors at every opportunity. He spent time in Cuba and finally settled for a time in Paris. In 1889 he returned to America. He helped found the Ten American Painters group. The French influence had a major influence on his work making him one of the leading American Impressionists. However, while he was an outstanding oil painter he is best remembered as a master watercolorist. In his later years he made East Hampton, Long Island his home and it there where he lived out his life.
Died: 1935