Frank DuMond | |
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Self-Portrait
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Born |
Frank Vincent DuMond August 20, 1865 Rochester, New York |
Died | February 6, 1951 New York City, New York |
(aged 85)
Frank Vincent DuMond (August 20, 1865 – February 6, 1951) was one of the most influential teacher-painters in 20th-century America. He was an illustrator and American Impressionist painter of portraits and landscapes, and a prominent teacher who instructed thousands of art students throughout a career spanning over fifty years.
Frank Vincent DuMond was born on August 20, 1865 in Rochester, New York, to a plumbing equipment manufacturer. He was interested in drawing from a young age, and was involved in the local art scene in the early 1880s. He got a job creating illustrations for a sign painting business. After graduating from a Rochester public school, DuMond moved to New York City in 1884.
From 1884 to 1888, he attended the Art Students League of New York, studying under Carroll Beckwith and William Sartain. DuMond financed his art education by taking a job creating illustrations for New York's Daily Graphic newspaper. As a result of his fine work there, he was offered a job at Harper's Weekly. He also later did work for such magazines as Century, McClure's, and Scribner's.
He moved to Paris to continue his studies. From 1888 or 1889 to 1891 he attended Académie Julian, where his instructors included Benjamin Constant, Jules Joseph Lefebvre, and Gustav Boulanger. He attained recognition in 1890 when a painting of his, Holy Family, exhibited at the Salon, was awarded a prestigious medal.
His early work was in the Art Nouveau style, then in Paris he was influenced by the Barbizon school, later becoming an Impressionist. In 1894 he married Helen Xavier of Portland, Oregon, an art student. They spent five years painting in France, where he also held summer classes for the Art Students League, painting landscapes outdoors from dawn until sunset. In 1900 he was elected into the National Academy of Design, and became a full Academician in 1906.