Frank Duveneck (né Decker; October 9, 1848 – January 3, 1919) was an American figure and portrait painter.

Early life

Duveneck was born in

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, lies to its immediate north across the Ohio and Newport, to its east across the Licking ...

, the son of German immigrant Bernhard Decker. Decker died in a cholera epidemic when Frank was only a year old, and his widow remarried Joseph "Squire" Duveneck. By the age of 15, Frank had begun the study of art under the tutelage of a local painter, Johann Schmitt, and had been apprenticed to a German firm of church decorators. While having grown up in Covington, Duveneck was a part of the German community in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

, just across the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

. Due to his

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

beliefs and German heritage, though, he was an outsider as far as the artistic community of Cincinnati was concerned.

Career

In 1869, he went abroad to study with

Wilhelm von Diez Albrecht Christoph Wilhelm von Diez (17 January 1839, Bayreuth – 25 February 1907, Munich) was a German painter and illustrator of the Munich School. Life He attended a trade school in Munich, followed by the Polytechnic School (precursor of ...

and

Wilhelm Leibl Wilhelm Maria Hubertus Leibl (October 23, 1844 – December 4, 1900) was a German realist painter of portraits and scenes of peasant life. Biography Leibl was born in Cologne, where his father was the director of the Cathedral choir. He was a ...

at the

Royal Academy of Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavari ...

, where he learned a dark, realistic, and direct style of painting. He subsequently became one of the young American painters—others were

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...

John Henry Twachtman John Henry Twachtman (August 4, 1853 – August 8, 1902) was an American painter best known for his impressionist landscapes, though his painting style varied widely through his career. Art historians consider Twachtman's style of American Impr ...

, Willis Seaver Adams, and

Walter Shirlaw Walter Shirlaw (August 6, 1838 – December 26, 1909) was a Scottish-American artist.''Dictionary of American Biography'' (1936) Charles Scribner's Sons, New York Biography Shirlaw was born in Paisley, Scotland, and moved to the United States ...

—who in the 1870s overturned the traditions of the

Hudson River School The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by Romanticism. The paintings typically depict the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area ...

and started a new art movement characterized by a greater freedom of paint application.

Success

His work, at first ignored in Covington, attracted great attention when shown at the

Boston Art Club The Boston Art Club, Boston, Massachusetts, serves to help its members, as well as non-members, to access the world of fine art. It currently has more than 250 members. History The Boston Art Club was first conceived in Boston in 1854 with the co ...

in 1875, and pupils flocked to him in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, where he made long visits.

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

called him "the unsuspected genius", and at the age of 27, he was a celebrated artist. In 1878, Duveneck opened a school in Munich, and in the village of Polling in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

. His students, known as the "Duveneck Boys", included John Twachtman, Otto Henry Bacher, Julius Rolshoven, and

John White Alexander John White Alexander (7 October 1856 – 31 May 1915) was an American portrait, figure, and decorative painter and illustrator. Early life Alexander was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now a part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Orphaned in i ...

. Following the death of his wife in March 1888, he returned to America from Italy and gave some attention to

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

, and modelled a fine monument to his wife, now in the Cimitero Evangelico agli Allori in Florence. Despite this activity, Elizabeth's death marked a slowing in his productivity; a wealthy man, he chose to lead a life of relative obscurity. He lived in Covington until his death in 1919 and taught at the

Art Academy of Cincinnati The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design in Cincinnati, Ohio, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. It was founded as the McMicken School of Design in 1869, and was a department of the ...

, where some of his pupils of note were

Cornelia Cassady Davis Cornelia Stuart Cassady Davis (1870–1920) was an American painter known for her portraits of Native Americans of the American west. Biography Davis née Cassady was born a twin on December 18, 1870 in Cleves, Ohio to George and Anna Cassady. ...

, Ida Holterhoff Holloway, John Christen Johansen, M. Jean McLane, Edward Charles Volkert,

Russel Wright Russel Wright (April 3, 1904 – December 21, 1976) was an American industrial designer. His best-selling ceramic dinnerware was credited with encouraging the general public to enjoy creative modern design at table with his many other ranges of fu ...

, Charles Mills,

Frances Farrand Dodge Frances Julia Farrand Dodge (22 November 1878 – 12 January 1969) was an American artist and teacher. Early life and education The eldest of four girls, Frances Farrand was born on 22 November 1878 in Lansing, Michigan. Her father, Hart Au ...

, and Herman and Bessie Wessel. Among his most famous paintings are ''Lady with Fan'' (1873) and ''The Whistling Boy'' (1872), both of which reveal Duveneck's debt to the dark palette and slashing brushwork of

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, , ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, chiefly of individual and group portraits and of genre works, who lived and worked in Haarlem. Hals played an important role in the evolution of 17th-century grou ...

. His work can be seen at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in New York City, the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of ch ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the

Cincinnati Art Museum The Cincinnati Art Museum is an art museum in the Eden Park neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies, and is one of the oldest in the United States. Its collection of ov ...

, the Richmond Art Museum, the Hyde Collection in Glen's Falls, New York, the Kenton County Library in Covington, Kentucky, and the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, also in Covington and the

Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, commonly known as The Loeb, is a teaching museum, major art repository, and exhibition space on the campus of Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It was founded in 1864 as the Vassar College ...

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeeps ...

. A portrait, ''Young Man with Tousled Hair'' (''The Street Urchin''), now in the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds ...

, was previously in the collection of

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

. In 1905, he was elected into the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the ...

as an associate member, and became a full academician in 1906. He was awarded a special gold medal at the San Francisco Exposition in 1915, and the same year, he presented a large collection of his own works to the Cincinnati museum.

Personal life

On March 25, 1886, Duveneck married one of his students, who was much admired by

, Boston-born

Elizabeth Boott Elizabeth "Lizzie" Otis Lyman Boott (April 13, 1846 – March 22, 1888) was an American painter of still lifes, landscapes, and portraits. She was the daughter of the classical music composer Francis Boott and Elizabeth (''née'' Lyma ...

. The two had been engaged off and on since 1881. They lived in Villa Castellani in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

(where she had been raised) for two years. Together, they were the parents of a son, Frank Boott Duveneck. She died in Paris of pneumonia, and Duveneck reportedly was devastated. Later, Duveneck often spent summers in

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

, visiting his son and painting . After his death in

, on January 3, 1919, Duveneck was buried at the Mother of God Cemetery, in Covington. A life-sized bronze statue depicting Duveneck holding a plaque with his wife's picture on it stands in a small park at the intersection of Pike and Washington Streets in Covington.

Gallery

File:Frank Duveneck - The Cobbler’s Apprentice.jpg, ''

The Cobbler's Apprentice ''The Cobbler's Apprentice'' is a painting by the American painter Frank Duveneck, painted in 1877. It hangs in the Taft Museum of Art of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The oil on canvas portrait measures and it is signed by the artist. D ...

'' (1877), oil on canvas, Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio. File:Major Dillard H Clark Frank Duveneck.jpeg, ''Major Dillard H. Clark'' (1877), oil on canvas, formerly

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Desig ...

, Washington, D.C. File:Frank Duveneck - Mary Cabot Wheelwright - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

Mary Cabot Wheelwright Mary Cabot Wheelwright (October 2, 1878 – July 29, 1958) was an American anthropologist and museum founder. She established the museum which is now called Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, in 1937 along with Hosteen Klah. Early life a ...

'' (1882),

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Cro ...

. File:Elizabeth Boott Duveneck.jpg, ''

'' (1887), oil on canvas,

. Mrs. Duveneck is wearing her wedding dress. Frank Duveneck, 1890 - Portrait of a Woman with Black Hat.jpg, ''Portrait of a Woman with Black Hat'' (1890). File:Frank Duveneck - Portrait of Winslow Homer.jpg, ''Portrait of

Winslow Homer Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in ...

'' (), private collection. File:Frank Duveneck - Reclining Nude - 57.110 - Indianapolis Museum of Art.jpg, ''Reclining Nude'' (1892), oil on canvas, Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

References

External links

* *
Works by Duveneck at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

www.artistarchive.com
Poole catalogue of 30 prints with a description of each and some images. {{DEFAULTSORT:Duveneck, Frank 1848 births 1919 deaths 19th-century American painters 20th-century American painters Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni American people of German descent American male painters Artists from Cincinnati Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni Art Students League of New York faculty Art Academy of Cincinnati faculty Munich School Orientalist painters People from Covington, Kentucky Painters from Kentucky 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters