Lee Greene Richards (July 27, 1878 – February 20, 1950) was a famous Utah portrait artist. Many of his works can be found at the
City and County Building in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...
.
Biography
Richards was the son of Levi W. and
Lula Greene Richards. His father was the son of
Levi Richards who was the brother of
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...
's physician (
Willard Richards
Willard Richards (June 24, 1804 – March 11, 1854) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He served as second counselor to church president Brigham Young in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sai ...
) in
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its h ...
. He was actually named Levi after his father but went by Lee. Levi W. Richards and his mother Sarah Griffith Richards had been painters. Lee Richards was raised as a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church) and in 1895 he served as an
LDS missionary
Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—often referred to as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and co ...
in England. Richards went to Paris in 1901 where he studied at the
Académie Julian
The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...
and the
École des Beaux-Arts
; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...
. In 1904 he returned to Utah where he started an art studio. In 1908 Richards married Mary Jane Eldredge, whose father was a wealthy banker. They spent over a year on their honeymoon in Paris.
Richards was known best for his portraiture, but he also painted landscapes. Some of his murals are featured inside the Utah Capital Building. He worked alongside Alma B. Wright in 1916 to paint the mural "Utah Lake" on a wall of the capital. He also painted portraits of Utah governors, featured in the Hall of Governors. These portraits included governors William Spry, Charles Rendell Mabey, and Herbert Brown Maw. The Rotunda in the Utah capital building was left unfinished for many years until the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) funded art commissions for the Capitol. He also finished a mural "Great Men of Knowledge" in 1940 in the University of Utah Park Building which was modified in 2000 due to the objections of Muslim student of it depicting Muhammad. Richards planned and sketched the paintings, and then worked with artists Gordon Cope and Henry Rasmussen to complete the project. The paintings were completed in 1934 and installed in the Capitol the following year to mark the opening of the Utah Arts Institute annual exhibition. Richards painted portraits of many
presidents
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*''Præsidenten ...
and leaders of the LDS Church, a number of which are now displayed in the
Church History Museum
The Church History Museum, formerly the Museum of Church History and Art, is the premier museum operated by the Church History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and ...
in Salt Lake City, murals for the
Cardston Alberta Temple
The Cardston Alberta Temple (formerly the Alberta Temple) is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cardston, Alberta. It was the eighth temple constructed and is the sixth still in operation. The intent to build the temp ...
, and one for the
Mesa Arizona Temple
The Mesa Arizona Temple (formerly the Arizona Temple; nicknamed the ''Lamanite Temple'') is the seventh operating Temple (LDS Church), temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The intent to build the temple was announced on Oct ...
.
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts has a large collection of his portraits and murals.
In 1921 Richards was the only American to serve as a judge at the
Salon d'Automne.
From 1938 to 1947 Richards was an art professor at the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...
.
Locations of works
Lee Greene Richards' paintings are featured throughout the United States. The following are known locations of his works.
In the
Utah Museum of Fine Arts
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) is a state and university art museum located in downtown Salt Lake City on the University of Utah campus. Housed in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building near Rice-Eccles Stadium, the museum holds a permane ...
(UMFA)
''A Grandson of Utah Pioneers''(1945)
''After The Hunt''(1911)
''Artists Daughter Holding a Globe of The World''(1916)
''Below the Hills''(1931)
''Breton Fisher Boy''(1903)
''Fields of Hurricane''(1928)
''French Farm House''''Harold Eldridge''''Indian Paint Brush''(1929)
''Iris''(1910)
''Lady Cutting Cabbage''(1923)
''Mountain Scene''
Notes
References
Askart bio of Richards*
D. Michael Quinn"They Served: The Richards Legacy in the Church" ''
Ensign
Ensign most often refers to:
* Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality
* Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank
Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to:
Places
* Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada
* Ensign, Ka ...
'', January 1980, p. 25
Utah Arts Council biographyh1>
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Lee Greene
1878 births
1950 deaths
19th-century American painters
American male painters
19th-century Mormon missionaries
20th-century American painters
American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts
American Latter Day Saint artists
American Mormon missionaries in England
Artists from Salt Lake City
Richards–Young family
University of Utah faculty
Latter Day Saints from Utah