Arthur B. Davies Papers

Arthur Bowen Davies (1862-1928) was an influential painter, printmaker, and advocate for modern art in the United States. Born in Utica, New York, Davies studied in Chicago before moving to New York City to study at the Art Students League. In 1908 he joined with seven other painters–John Sloan, Robert Henri, George Luks, Everett Shinn, William Glackens, Maurice Prendergast, and Ernest Lawson–to mount an exhibition in protest to the city’s conservative art establishment. Held at the Macbeth Gallery, the show became known as the exhibition of the Eight. In 1913 he would be a key player in bringing modern European art to a broad American audience through the Armory Show.

The Arthur B. Davies Papers were donated by scholar Bennard B. Perlman, and represent a significant portion of his research material for The Lives, Loves and Art of Arthur B. Davies. The collection contains some primary materials, such as correspondence of the Davies family and oral interviews with Davies’ family members and associates, and a broad range of secondary materials, including newspaper and magazine articles, exhibition catalogs, correspondence with collectors, and photographs.

Finding Aid for the Arthur B. Davies Papers
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Audio Interviews
Correspondence (coming soon)
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