Richard William Dempsey (1909–1987) was an American illustrator and painter, with works included in the collections of the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...

and the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

. Dempsey was born in Ogden, Utah, on September 14, 1909. He spent his youth in Oakland, California and attended the California School of Arts and Crafts. He relocated to Washington, D.C., where he worked for the Federal Government, first for the

Federal Power Commission The Federal Power Commission (FPC) was an independent commission of the United States government, originally organized on June 23, 1930, with five members nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The FPC was originally created in ...

as a draftsman and then for the

General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. G ...

as an illustrator. Dempsey continued his studies at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

where he was taught by James Lesesne Wells. In 1946 Dempsey was the recipient of a fellowship from the

Julius Rosenwald Fund The Rosenwald Fund (also known as the Rosenwald Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation) was established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald and his family for "the well-being of mankind." Rosenwald became part-owner of S ...

to create portraits of important Black Americans. During his lifetime, Dempsey exhibited at the Franz Bader Gallery in Washington, D.C., and taught at the

Corcoran School of the Arts and Design The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design (known as the Corcoran School or CSAD) is the professional art school of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C.Peggy McGloneUniversity names first director of Corcoran School of the Arts a ...

. Dempsey died on October 8, 1987, in Washington, D.C.

References

External links

images of Dempsey's work
on ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Dempsey, Richard W. 1909 births 1987 deaths People from Ogden, Utah 20th-century American painters 20th-century American male artists