Boardman Robinson was born in 1876 in Somerset, Nova Scotia, Canada. He came to the United States in 1894 to attend the Massachusetts Art School. He then studied painting in Paris at the Academie Colarossi and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. After returning to the United States, Robinson worked as a cartoonist in New York City for the Morning Telegraph (1907,10), the New York Tribune (1910,14).
Robinson went with John Reed to Russia in 1915 and served as war correspondent, covering the Kerensky Revolution for the Metropolitan Magazine. From 1915-1920, he held positions at several magazines including The Masses, Liberator, and Harper's Weekly. He also served as a one-time art editor at Vogue.
Robinson worked with Thomas Hart Benton in the 1920's, developing a new style of mural painting. As a result, the two men are recognized as the founders of the American mural movement of the 1930's.
In 1930, he moved to Colorado Springs and took a position at the Broadmoor Academy. The following year, he was named Director of the Academy. During this time, he influenced many other well-known artists instruct at the Academy including: George Biddle, Thomas Hart Benton, Henry Varnum Poor, Adolf Dehn, Arnold Blanch, and Edgar Britton.
Studied: Boston Normal Art School, 1894-97; Academy Julian, Paris, 1898-1900; Academy Colarossi & Ecole des Beaux-Arts, 1901-04;
Exhibited: Armory Show, 1913; Pan-Pacific International Expo, 1915; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1926, 1939, 1944, 1950; Architecture League, 1930 (gold); Art Institute of Chicago; Whitney Museum of American Art, 1923-47); Corcoran Gallery Biennials, 1947, 1949.
Works Held: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, New Mexico Artists Association; Metropolitan Museum Modern Art; Dallas Museum of Fine Art; Amon Carter Museum; Museum New Mexico; Art Institute of Chicago; Library of Congress; Harvard University; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Wichita Museum of Art; Fogg Museum of Art; New York University; Denver Art Museum; University of Arizona.
Murals Held: Rockefeller Center, New York City; Department of Justice, Washington DC; United States Post Office, Englewood, CO ("Horse Show").
Further Reading: Biographical Encyclopedia of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers of the U.S., Vol. 1. Howard Creps et al. Dealers Choice Books: 2002.; Christ-Janer, Albert, Boardman Robinson. University of Chicago Press, London, 1937.; Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America, Vol. 3. Peter Hastings Falk, Georgia Kuchen and Veronica Roessler, eds.,Sound View Press, Madison, Connecticut, 1999. 3 Vols.
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