Augustus Vincent Tack (American, 1870–1949)

Timeline

Augustus Vincent Tack, a painter of portraits, murals and abstractions, was born in Pittsburgh in 1870. He developed his talent so quickly, that a painting he sent to the Society of American Artists in 1889 received the highest rating and a place of honor. Study with John La Farge was followed by a trip to France in the early 1890s.

He also became respected for his skills at portraiture. After World War II, he painted many of the significant participants in the struggle, including General George C. Marshall (circa 1949, Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.).

Tack's portraits and murals were traditional in style, but during the inter-war years, he also painted a number of mystical landscapes and abstract works on the themes of religion and creation. 'They evoke, through faceted slabs of color, suggestions of timelessness and spirituality in the tradition of Albert Pinkham Ryder, Georgia O'Keeffe and Clyfford Still.' However these 'abstract paintings were rarely purchased' (Falk), but they attracted the attention of Duncan Phillips of Washington DC. As a result, many of these works are housed in the Phillips Collection. It is said that Tack inspired Morris Louis and other DC abstract painters.

Tack died in 1949 in New York City.