Joseph C. Pollet (1897–1979) was an American painter, based in New York City and the region. He was best known for his portraits and realistic rural landscapes.

Biography

Pollet was born in 1897 in

Albbruck Albbruck is a municipality of the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is on the southwestern border of Germany with Switzerland. History In 1805 during the process of German mediatisation, a restructuring of certain jurisdict ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and immigrated in 1911 as a youth with his parents to

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 ...

. He studied at the

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 ...

under artist

John Sloan John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 – September 7, 1951) was an American painter and etcher. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Ashcan school of American art. He was also a member of the group known as The Eight (Ashcan School), T ...

. By age 21 Pollet was employed as an advertising copywriter, while studying painting. He settled near

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, New York, Kingston. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The popula ...

. He received early notice for his portraits and landscapes. In the 1940s, he was described as pursuing a variety of techniques and evading characterization of style. He retained ties in Woodstock during the several years, from 1954 until 1961, when he lived in Paris and Italy. After Pollet returned to the United States and New York, he lived in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

in Manhattan. Pollet was best known for his realistic rural landscapes. In 1971, a fire in his

studio destroyed nearly 150 of his paintings.

Marriage and family

Pollet married twice. He and his first wife had two children together, two daughters named Elizabeth and Barbara. He and his second wife had a son, Sylvester.Obituary: "Joseph Pollet, Painter, Known for Landscapes"
''New York Times'', May 29, 1979, Tuesday, Page D9

References

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James Cox Gallery 1897 births 1979 deaths Art Students League of New York alumni American people of German descent {{US-painter-1890s-stub