Artist. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was considered a forefather of the Pop Art movement, who translated visual imagery into iconographic abstract paintings of squiggly lines and flashy colors. At the age of 16, he dropped out of high school to study with Robert Henri at the artist's school in New York City. In 1913, he held his first watercolors solo-exhibition, followed by a string of shows at the Whitney Studio Club New York and became a member of Modern Artists of America in 1922. He began to truly research the European techniques of abstraction and was a master Synthetic Cubism in 1928. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was a magazine illustrator, completed several government commissioned murals for the Public Works of Art Program, Federal Art Project and the Works Progress Administration. Davis continued to enjoy success as an International artist well into his later years. He received honors as a representative of the United States at the Venice Biennale (1952-54) and was awarded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum International Awards (1958-60). He died of a stroke at age 71 in New York City.
In 1998, a memorial plaque was placed on the Manhattan apartment building at 175 W. 13th St. where Davis had lived and worked for 20 years. Its inscription reads:
Stuart Davis
(1891-1964)
On this site, the American artist Stuart Davis maintained his studio and residence from 1934 to 1954. It was here that he painted many of his most important works including: "Hot Still-scape for Six Colors – Seventh Avenue Style" (1940); "Owh! in Sao Pao" (1951); and "Rapt at Rappaport's" (1952). Davis painted for six decades and was an original and important force in American art. He also was an active part of the flourishing academic, intellectual, art and jazz life of Greenwich Village.
Artist. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was considered a forefather of the Pop Art movement, who translated visual imagery into iconographic abstract paintings of squiggly lines and flashy colors. At the age of 16, he dropped out of high school to study with Robert Henri at the artist's school in New York City. In 1913, he held his first watercolors solo-exhibition, followed by a string of shows at the Whitney Studio Club New York and became a member of Modern Artists of America in 1922. He began to truly research the European techniques of abstraction and was a master Synthetic Cubism in 1928. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was a magazine illustrator, completed several government commissioned murals for the Public Works of Art Program, Federal Art Project and the Works Progress Administration. Davis continued to enjoy success as an International artist well into his later years. He received honors as a representative of the United States at the Venice Biennale (1952-54) and was awarded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum International Awards (1958-60). He died of a stroke at age 71 in New York City.
In 1998, a memorial plaque was placed on the Manhattan apartment building at 175 W. 13th St. where Davis had lived and worked for 20 years. Its inscription reads:
Stuart Davis
(1891-1964)
On this site, the American artist Stuart Davis maintained his studio and residence from 1934 to 1954. It was here that he painted many of his most important works including: "Hot Still-scape for Six Colors – Seventh Avenue Style" (1940); "Owh! in Sao Pao" (1951); and "Rapt at Rappaport's" (1952). Davis painted for six decades and was an original and important force in American art. He also was an active part of the flourishing academic, intellectual, art and jazz life of Greenwich Village.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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