Arrah Lee Gaul (1888 - December 11,1980), was an American painter. She was the first woman to have a solo exhibition at the

Philadelphia Art Club The Art Club of Philadelphia, often called the Philadelphia Art Club, was a club in Philadelphia, founded on February 7, 1887, to advance the arts.

. Gaul was the official artist of the Philadelphia Sesqui-Centennial and an original member of the

Philadelphia Ten The Philadelphia Ten, also known as The Ten, was a group of American female artists who exhibited together from 1917 to 1945. The group, eventually numbering 30 painters and sculptors, exhibited annually in Philadelphia and later had traveling ex ...

Biography

Gaul was born in 1888 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended the Philadelphia School of Design, studying under

Elliott Daingerfield Elliott Daingerfield (1859–1932) was an American artist who lived and worked in North Carolina. He is considered one of North Carolina's most prolific artists.Johnson, Lucille Miller (1992). ''Hometown Heritage, Volume II'', p 2-3. Taylor Publi ...

, and Henry B. Snell. Gaul pursued additional studies at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

before returning in 1921 to teach at the Philadelphia School of Design and she eventually became the head of the art department there. In 1917 she participated in the inaugural exhibition of the Philadelphia Ten. She also exhibited nationally at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

, the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1805, it is the longest continuously operating art museum and art school in the United States. The academy's museum ...

and 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 ...

in New York. She was the first woman to have a solo exhibition at the Philadelphia Art Club. Internationally, she exhibited at

Beaux Arts Gallery Beaux Arts Gallery was a gallery at 1 Bruton Place, London, England. It was known as a preeminent center for promoting avant-garde art until its closure in 1965. Founded and operated by portrait sculptor Frederick Lessore in 1923, the gallery wa ...

in London, the Paris Salon of 1931 and the

Grand Palais The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...

des Champs Elysees. Gaul frequently traveled to foreign locations to paint including Greece, Italy, Algiers, China, Hong Kong, Thailand and India. She died on December 11, 1980, in Philadelphia and was interred at

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is in size, and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in nearby Philadelphia. ...

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route ...

References

External links

images of Arrah Lee Gaul's paintings
on artNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaul, Arrah Lee 1888 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American women painters 20th-century American painters Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery Philadelphia School of Design for Women alumni Painters from Philadelphia