Arthur B. Davies

Arthur B. Davies (born Sept. 26, 1862, Utica, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 24, 1928, Florence, Italy) was an American painter, printmaker, and tapestry designer known for his idylls of classical fantasy painted in a Romantic style but best remembered for his leadership in introducing modern European painting styles into early 20th-century America.

Trained in Utica, New York City, and Chicago, Davies at first painted atmospheric landscapes in the Romantic manner—e.g., “Along the Erie Canal” (1890; Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.). It was after 1900 that his most characteristic works were created—idyllic scenes of elegant nude figures and mythological creatures gracefully grouped in frieze compositions before stark Romantic landscapes—e.g., “Crescendo” (1910; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City).

In 1908 Davies organized an exhibit of artists who came to be known as The Eight (q.v.), or ultimately as the Ashcan School. As president of the Society of Independent Artists, Davies was a major figure in the organization of the sensational Armory Show (q.v.) of 1913, which brought the works of European and American modernists to the attention of the U.S. public. Davies himself adopted a modified Cubist style for several years and painted rhythmic patterns of geometricized fragments of natural forms and figures—e.g., “Dancers” (after 1913; Detroit Institute of Arts). During the last decade of his career he returned to a representational style and devoted much of his time to etching and colour lithography.

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