Randall Davey (1887 – 1964) was an American painter and art educator. He taught art at several institutions, including the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

, and he had his studio in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

. His artwork can be seen in museums across the U.S.

Early life and education

Davey was born

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...

in 1887. He graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in 1909.

Career

Claremore OK Randall Davey 121-CMS-4B-85

Davey taught art at the

School of the Art Institute of Chicago The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a Private university, private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which gr ...

, the

Kansas City Art Institute The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) is a private art school in Kansas City, Missouri. The college was founded in 1885 and is an accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and Higher Learning Commission. The institute ...

, and the

Broadmoor Art Academy The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) is an arts center located just north of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. Located on the same city block are the American Numismatic Association and part of the campus of Colorado ...

. He also taught at the

from 1945 to 1956. Davey moved to

in 1919, where he established a studio at his

Randall Davey House The Randall Davey House, on Upper Canyon Rd. in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, was built in 1847. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The listing included two contributing buildings. It was a home of artist ...

. He was primarily a portrait and equine painter, but he also painted landscapes and still lifes. His artwork was acquired by numerous national museums. It was exhibited at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

in 1933-1934. His work was also part of the painting event in the art competition at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

Collections

His work is held in the permanent collections of the

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art gallery, art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of A ...

Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is a museum institution located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It has list of largest art museums, one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it cove ...

, the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

, and the

Corcoran Art Gallery The Corcoran Gallery of Art is a former art museum in Washington, D.C., that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Founded in 1869 by philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran ...

, the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

Personal life

Davey had a son, William. He was predeceased by his wife. He died in a car accident near

Baker, California Baker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, US. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 442. Baker's ZIP Code is 92309 and the community is within area codes 442 and 760. History Baker w ...

in November 1964.

Legacy

His historic house and art studio on upper

Canyon Road Canyon Road (formerly known as Great Plank Road) is a major road and partial state highway, which serves as a connector between Beaverton and Portland, Oregon, United States. It was the first major road constructed between the Tualatin V ...

in Santa Fe is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NAID: 77847582). The property is now home to the Randall Davey Audubon Center and Sanctuary. In 1920, Davey purchased the home and property from the Martinez family; prior to that the structures housed a sawmill which was later turned into a gristmill. In 1983, Davey's heirs gifted the property to the Audubon Society which operates an educational center and oversees a wildlife sanctuary there. An archive of his papers are held in the

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washing ...

at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davey, Randall 1887 births 1964 deaths American landscape painters American male painters American portrait painters American still life painters American art educators Painters from Santa Fe, New Mexico Cornell University alumni Equine artists Kansas City Art Institute faculty Artists from East Orange, New Jersey School of the Art Institute of Chicago faculty University of New Mexico faculty 20th-century American painters Art competitors at the 1932 Summer Olympics 20th-century American male artists Road incident deaths in California Section of Painting and Sculpture artists