Allyn Cox (June 5, 1896 – September 26, 1982) was an American artist known for his murals, including those on display in the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

and the U.S. Department of State.

Early life and education

Cox was a son of Kenyon Cox and his wife, the former Louise Howland King, both of whom were artists. His siblings were Leonard and Caroline. He studied at 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, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

and

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome, Italy. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History 19th century In 1893, a group of American architect ...

. In 1940, he was elected into the

as an associate academician, and became a full academician in 1962.

Career

Cox apprenticed with his father, who he worked with when working on murals for the

Wisconsin State Capitol The Wisconsin State Capitol, located in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Governor of Wisconsin, Office of the Governor. Completed in 1917, the building is the ...

. His first solo mural may have been over the fireplace at the Windsor Public Library. Like his father, he served as the president of the National Society of Mural Painters. In 1953, he was hired to complete the

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

in the Capitol Rotunda, which had been originally started by

Constantino Brumidi Constantino Brumidi (26 July 1805 – 19 February 1880) was a Greek-Italian painter and a Naturalization, naturalized American citizen, best known and honored for his fresco work, ''The Apotheosis of Washington, Apotheosis of Washington'', in the ...

and left unfinished since the 1880s. He painted murals on many other walls in the building, including a depiction of the first landing on the Moon in the Senate's Brumidi Corridors of the Capitol. Starting in 1971, Cox designed and painted two of the three Cox Corridors in the Capitol, while the third was completed following his designs after his death. Some of his work may be seen at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

. He also painted murals in houses owned by Anne (Mrs. William K.) Vanderbilt and Lincoln Ellsworth. In 1956, he was hired to design and paint two long rectangular murals for the new headquarters of the North Carolina Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons. The murals depict major events in the history of North Carolina Masons from the 1750s onward. These were completed in August 1959, transported to the building, unrolled, and mounted to the north and south walls of the main hall. He served as president of the National Society of Mural Painters from 1942 to 1946 and again from 1960 to 1963.

Personal life

On April 30, 1927, Cox married Ethel Julia Howard Potter, a daughter of Howard Nott Potter and a great-niece of

Henry Codman Potter Henry Codman Potter (May 25, 1834 – July 21, 1908) was a bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. He was the seventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Potter was "more praised and appreciated, perhaps, than any public man ...

, Episcopal Bishop of New York. His wife's uncle by marriage was society architect

William Adams Delano William Adams Delano (January 21, 1874 – January 12, 1960) was an American architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection wi ...

. Cox died of a stroke in 1982.

Notes

External links

''Henry Clay''
by Allyn Cox

by Allyn Cox] 1896 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American male artists 20th-century American painters American male painters American muralists Art Students League of New York alumni Painters from New York City {{US-painter-1890s-stub