Glackens, William

Glackens, William (James)

(born March 13, 1870, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.—died May 22, 1938, Westport, Conn.) U.S. painter. He worked as a newspaper illustrator in Philadelphia and later in New York City. In 1891 he met Robert Henri, and he subsequently became a member of The Eight and the Ash Can school. He favoured colourful street scenes of urban middle-class life, heavily influenced by Impressionism. He was a prolific draftsman, and his drawings (e.g., Seated Woman, 1902) reveal an elegant style not seen in his paintings. In 1912 he traveled to Europe to buy paintings for the collection of Albert C. Barnes. In 1913 he helped organize and exhibited in the Armory Show.

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Glackens, William (James) (1870–1938) painter; born in Philadelphia. After studying in Philadelphia under Robert Henri, he worked in New York as an illustrator for magazines until about 1905 when he devoted himself to painting. A member of The Eight, who emphasized realism and modernism, his own work—such as Nude with Apple (1910)—tended toward impressionism.