Guy Carleton Wiggins
Guy Wiggins was often called the "last great American Impressionist." His early education in England under his father Carleton Wiggins (1848-1932), a distinguished painter of Barbizon-style landscapes, influenced his own career as a landscape painter. Although originally trained as a draftsman, he ultimately turned to his true passion, painting. He enrolled in the National Academy of Design in Brooklyn, New York, and was taught by Robert Henri (1865-1929). From an early age, he earned great recognition, winning prestigious awards and becoming the youngest American to have a work accepted into the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is known for his New York City scenes during winter and sunny Connecticut landscapes.
EXTENDED BIO
Guy Carleton Wiggins NA (February 23, 1883 – April 1962) was an American artist who became famous for his paintings of New York City's snowy streets, landmarks and towering skyscrapers during winter. In 1883 the young Wiggins was born into an artistic family; his father Carleton Wiggins was an accomplished artist who gave his son his first training as a painter. Later he enrolled in architectural school, but changed direction by entering the National Academy of Design to study painting. His teachers at the academy were William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri.
He was born in Brooklyn and made his residence in New York City, a city which often provided subjects for his paintings, as The Metropolitan Tower (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York); Washington Square in Winter (Richmond Art Museum, Indiana); Columbia Circle, Winter (National Gallery of Art, Washington); and Riverside Drive (1915).
June, Berkshire Hills - Brooklyn Museum
Throughout Wiggins' career, he painted in an impressionistic style, as may be seen especially in Berkshire Hills, June (Brooklyn Museum). He traveled New England painting streams, fields and woodlands capturing on canvas the various seasons of the year. He became one of the youngest members of the Old Lyme Art Colony of Old Lyme, Connecticut, and painted alongside his father, Carleton, Childe Hassam, and Frank Vincent DuMond. Wiggins taught art in New York and Connecticut and enjoyed a long and successful career as a painter.
He died in St. Augustine, Florida in 1962.
REFERENCES
The New York Scene - Rehs Galleries' exhibition of works by Guy C. Wiggins.
Wiggins oil painting "Winter at the Plaza" in Swann Galleries Auction catalogue
'A Family of Painters is Having Its Moment', Ann Farmer, The New York Times, 6 June 2011
Two 1920's Guy Wiggins exhibition catalogs from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries
